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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

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

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. 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 normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.