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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence 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 the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase 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, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.