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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

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

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.