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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous 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 diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive 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 might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.