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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her former home minister and police chief.

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

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.