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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, 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".

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".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

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

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.