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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

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

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why 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 due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation 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 "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.