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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

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

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

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

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

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

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.