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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this nation."

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

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he said.