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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" 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 the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. 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 particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.