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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile 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 the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.