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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources 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 informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her 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 disappointed," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.