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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

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

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

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

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.