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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.