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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors 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, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

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

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last 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 international dilemma for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "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 kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.