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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest last year.

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

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

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 firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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