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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances last year.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but evolved into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations informed media representatives 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 exploited their positions".

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

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their minds."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her return but so far India has expressed no readiness 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; which is why I am sad," he stated further.

The previous week, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial in conjunction with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The anger against Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

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 punishment was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, 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 Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.