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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable 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 while she was absent 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 behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

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

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

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

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, 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 the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.