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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 led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her 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 decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

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

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.