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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

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

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.