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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest 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 responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

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 political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

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

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel 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 disheartened," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party 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 Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.