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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

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

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he said.