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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

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

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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 families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he said.