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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

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 wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations during the current year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.