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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. 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 particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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