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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.