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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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 gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

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

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.