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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

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

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.