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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

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.

Legal authorities charged her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence 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 civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards ahead of the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told media outlets.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by media examinations during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

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

After her departure, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am sad," he added.

Last week, her legal team 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 former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "It makes it difficult for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this country."

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

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

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.