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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed 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 "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.