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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

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

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others 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 her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he said.