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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.