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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish state employment 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 amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance 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 activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.