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

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews earlier this year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction 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 country's political divisions.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.