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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

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

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.