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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity over her crackdown on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals were killed during the turmoil last year.

Hasina was tried 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 hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, she expressed the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security prior to the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests stated to media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is scheduled for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the election.

This decision presents a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness 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 represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The campaigner further stated that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a standard element of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he expressed.