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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.