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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

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

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.