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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned 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 fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, 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 exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.