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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

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

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," 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 legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.