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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 protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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 families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.