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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions 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 kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.