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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

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

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.