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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

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

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.