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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people died during the unrest during 2024.

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

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her government's record on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

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

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by investigative sources earlier this year indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government under the guidance of economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am disheartened," he added.

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.