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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

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

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

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

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.