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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity stemming from 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, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.