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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited 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 imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.