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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

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

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews in previous months 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, relatives of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

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

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

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

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

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.