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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist 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 increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.