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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

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

The protest movement led by students last year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds 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".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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 Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.