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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.