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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

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

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