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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling 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 numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives 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 "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.