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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.