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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests informed news agencies 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 "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, 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 relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked 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 even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.