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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances 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.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

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

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

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

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

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

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

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.