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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote 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 her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.