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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year indicated 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 fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.