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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated 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 government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

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

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he said.