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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.