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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has apologised or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

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

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. 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 the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.