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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 forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.