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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal 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 decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.