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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 protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.