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The country's previous leader has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence 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 numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

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

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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