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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.