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

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict 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 satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited 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.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

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

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "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 faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.