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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report 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 deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

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

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, 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 standard element of the country's governance system again.

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