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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations 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 unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia 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 numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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