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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people 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, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, 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 increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.