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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

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

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.