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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current 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, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.