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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

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

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.