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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on youth demonstrations which resulted in her removal from power.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the turmoil in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her government's record on human rights.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in disturbances, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the period preceding the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

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

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the ballot.

The verdict now poses a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to media outlets. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We support several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.