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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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 kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, 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 her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. 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 even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element 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 old leadership," he expressed.