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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

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