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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 led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

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

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, 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 "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he said.