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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

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

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.