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

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure 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 are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.