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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified 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 trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds 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 relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

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

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

She alerted during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the families of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.