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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League 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 the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.