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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil during 2024.

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

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.