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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.