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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Families of those killed and injured had called for strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest told news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

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

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

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disappointed," he stated further.

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

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

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 fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not resolution for the relatives of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a separation from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.