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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia 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 behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

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

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina 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 trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

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