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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried 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.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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 suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.