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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

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

Ramjan Ali, 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".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

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

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating 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 repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature 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 previous administration," he stated.