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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

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

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.