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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike 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 no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

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

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.