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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

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

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not resolution for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" 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 disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.