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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for numerous deaths 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 brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

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 political force and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

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

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

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

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

After her departure, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, 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 banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

The previous 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.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.