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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed 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 achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.