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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

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 behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

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

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer 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 disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.