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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers 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 former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.