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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was content of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I am not afraid to meet my challengers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a notable rise in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

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

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by media examinations earlier this year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests stated to press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "carried out before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their souls."

Following her removal, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, her political faction, 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 banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the vote.

The judgment creates a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her return but until now India has shown no willingness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her former home minister and police chief.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The anger against Hasina and the Awami League has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the penalty was not finality for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

An analyst, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he said.