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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.