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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.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

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

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.