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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.