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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities due to her crackdown on youth demonstrations which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months 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, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out 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 economist 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 temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.