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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas 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 "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disheartened," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.