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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, 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 the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.