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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

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

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

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

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

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

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