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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

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

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates 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 the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.