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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, 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".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial 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 relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.