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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

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

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

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

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party 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 old leadership," he said.