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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

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

The student-led uprising during 2024 commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, family members of those killed during the protests stated to 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 Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose spouse died 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 achieve closure in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

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

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

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

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

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They cannot pardon her."

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

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.