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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

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

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

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

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.