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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.