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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.