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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated 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 zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated 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 press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.