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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last 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.

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

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, 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 disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.