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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations due to her harsh response on protests led by students which caused her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, regional security representative the police spokesperson informed news organizations.

The student-led uprising last year began with demands to abolish government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a call made by the former leader confirmed by external reviews during the current year suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to press outlets they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

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

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against the former leader and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a human rights advocate from the capital told media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, 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 "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.