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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

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

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

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

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

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.