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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, 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 could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.