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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her harsh response on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the police spokesperson stated to press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations during the current year implied she had authorized the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

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".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

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

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Both she and the organization has apologised or demonstrated contrition for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The campaigner further stated that the punishment was not closure for the relatives of those who died and were wounded.

"We support multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the previous administration," he expressed.