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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year started with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

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

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

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

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

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.