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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.