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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Last week, 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 in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

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

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.