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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.