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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

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

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

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

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.