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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances 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 since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated 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 civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality 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 her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.