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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

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

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates 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 "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.