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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died 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.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded 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, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, 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 families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

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

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, 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 could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he said.