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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for strict sentences.

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

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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

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

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.