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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

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

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

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

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.