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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

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

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date 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 am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he said.