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

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

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.