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

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted all charges, describing the process as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews earlier this year suggested she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he stated further.

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

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

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

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

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