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

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer 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 disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. 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 normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.