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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others 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 her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the relatives 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 cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.