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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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 relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" 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 the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.