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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; 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 serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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