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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, 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 satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets 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 "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned 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 international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.