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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded 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 governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate 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 represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

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

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.