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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

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

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed 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 achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

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

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he said.