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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 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. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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