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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

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

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused 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 "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.