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Bangladesh's former prime minister 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.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

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

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. 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 regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.