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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others 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 Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

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

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.