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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 led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets 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 the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

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

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.