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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

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

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" 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 strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace 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.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

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