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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.