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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.