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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he added.

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

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

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