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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

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

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

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

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

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" 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 separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.