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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

"We work with numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

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