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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her severe measures on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the trial.

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

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has shown no willingness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; that's why I am disappointed," he added.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

While the sentence grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

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

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he said.