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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

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

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

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.