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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.