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The country's previous leader has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.