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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the unrest during 2024.

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 behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited 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 police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

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

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon 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 Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.