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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court 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 decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.