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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.