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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, 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 could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.