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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

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

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

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

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

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction 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 have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.