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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by media examinations in previous months implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, 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 families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

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 Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, 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 even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.