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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by media examinations earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" 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 media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" 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 "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, her legal team 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 alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.