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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned 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 Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.