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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive 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 normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.