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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office 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 "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he said.