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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" 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 just legal forum where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, 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 country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.