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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" 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 separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.