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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from 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 demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, 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 harmed had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest 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 "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

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

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.