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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

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

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.