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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the disturbances last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets 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 "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the election.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.