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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

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

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.