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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

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

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

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

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.