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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off 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, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died 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 achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.