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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.