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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile 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 all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed 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 find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.