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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned 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 who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured 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 achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party 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 former hierarchy," he expressed.