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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, 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 proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

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 Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.