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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 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. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

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; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness 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 families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he said.