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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The advocate continued that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.