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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.