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

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he said.