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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence 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 behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had called for severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was content of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, regional security representative Jisanul Haque informed news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year started with demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader verified by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those killed during the protests informed press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Lucky Akther, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the her faction's nominees were banned from standing in the upcoming election, countless would abstain the vote.

The judgment creates a international dilemma for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disappointed," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

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

While the sentence provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

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

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he expressed.