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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for atrocities over her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the authorities' representative told media outlets.

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

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance 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 kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

The previous week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.