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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed 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 "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.