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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.