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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The student-led uprising last year commenced through requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her ex-interior minister and police chief.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he said.