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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, 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 in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.