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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

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

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance 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 "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. 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 particularly hard" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.