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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed 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 government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, 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 forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not finality for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.