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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

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.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force 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 proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

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

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.