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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

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

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

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out 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 led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

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

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.