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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by external reviews in previous months indicated she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to press agencies. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

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

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.