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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.