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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence 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 have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies 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 "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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