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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

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

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.