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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the death penalty was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this nation."

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

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

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he stated.