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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia 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 responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.