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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

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

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited 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 authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

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

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.