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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Families of those killed and wounded had requested tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the intentional injuring of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for her and co-accused who have "committed acts of vengeance and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their souls."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is planned for February 2026.

However, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my clients are absent; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

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