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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile 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 the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he said.