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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which led to her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a governing body and that she was satisfied of her government's record on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the verdict was read.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer the authorities' representative informed news organizations.

The youth-driven revolt last year began with requests to remove government job quotas but evolved into a wider anti-government movement.

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

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of some protesters, the purposeful disabling of additional individuals, unwarranted detentions and mistreatment.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those who died in the demonstrations stated to news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

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

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will achieve closure in their souls."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government led by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

She alerted last month that if the party's candidates were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the ballot.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her repatriation but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

Her officially designated attorney Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am disappointed," he stated further.

The previous 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.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together with her former home minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict provides certain resolution to families of killed in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the old leadership," he expressed.