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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain 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 disappointed," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.