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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," 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.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

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

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.