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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" 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 expressed.