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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

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

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past 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 both nations. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction 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 do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.