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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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