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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated 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 government's record on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

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

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.