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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

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

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives 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 abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.