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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed 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 spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.