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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those who died in the demonstrations informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and police chief.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.