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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.