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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

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

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

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.