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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year started with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

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

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others 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 Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

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