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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile 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, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.