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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "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 bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.