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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals 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, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.