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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies 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 "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Following her removal, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.