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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

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

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.