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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest during 2024.

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.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

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

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

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

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised 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 most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.