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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.