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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

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

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the kin 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."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.