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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

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