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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

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

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

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

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

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

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.