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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque 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.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.