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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

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

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

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

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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