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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled 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 every accusation, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those killed during the protests informed media representatives 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 "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died 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 find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

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