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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

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

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded 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 no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

After her departure, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.