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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. 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 increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.