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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"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 tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not closure for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, 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 normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.