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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party 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 bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.