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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed 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 "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, 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 the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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".

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

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.