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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, 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 families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness 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 clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

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

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not finality for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.