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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before 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 recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. 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 increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from the former leader and the previous administration," he stated.