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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal 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 the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, 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 abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.