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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to 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, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment 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 diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.