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

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded without her presence by the special international tribunal 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. Hasina has denied all charges, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

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

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was content of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors organizing a demonstration and cheering as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative Jisanul Haque stated to news organizations.

The protest movement led by students last year commenced through requests to remove public sector reservation policies but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could amount to "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by external reviews during the current year implied she had sanctioned the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Lucky Akther, 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 kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an caretaker administration headed by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is planned for February 2026.

However, the her former political organization, her political faction, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, countless would abstain the vote.

This decision presents a international dilemma for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her return but so far India has expressed no readiness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; that's why I am sad," he added.

The previous week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence offers some closure to families of killed 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 decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not closure for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a standard element of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the old leadership," he expressed.