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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

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

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.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.