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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.