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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

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

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.