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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

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

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

Following her removal, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal 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.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We work with several people who lost their limbs forever, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.