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

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges 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 assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.