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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

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

Ahead of the verdict, 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 "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.