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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

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

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.