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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

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 unrest last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

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

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, 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 normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.