The country's previous leader has been handed capital punishment for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.
The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.
Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.
The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".
The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.
Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.
"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."
The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.
Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.
One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed news organizations.
The youth-driven revolt last year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.
UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".
The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.
Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.
Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.
One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".
Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".
"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."
After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.
However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.
The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.
This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.
Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".
"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.
The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.
Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.
Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.
"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."
The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."
The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.
"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."
An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.
This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.
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