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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was outlawed 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 upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.