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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader verified by external reviews during the current year indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the ballot.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

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 fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this state."

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the kin of those killed and injured.

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

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.