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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over 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 protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, 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 nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.