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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year implied 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 fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.