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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.