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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" 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 "implemented before the election".

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

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.