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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, 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 families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.