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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, the former leader stated the capital punishment was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on human rights.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative told news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he stated further.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

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

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from the former leader and the previous administration," he said.