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

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers 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 enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

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

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

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 resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

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

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the families of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.