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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a recent spike in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations told 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 "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

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