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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.