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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.