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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

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

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off 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 casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

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

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

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

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. 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 her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.