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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded 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.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

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

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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