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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

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

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented 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 economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.