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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.