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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.