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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

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