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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

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

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.