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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people died during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and wounded had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, 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 exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am sad," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her previous domestic affairs official and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this state."

The advocate continued that the sentence was not closure for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.