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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.