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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, Hasina said the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died 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 achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her return but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.