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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students 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 nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

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

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.