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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.