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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said 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 leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year 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, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, 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 together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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