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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.