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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 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. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed 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 prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

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

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.