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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, 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 administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

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

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

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

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

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased 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 diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

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

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.