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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her removal from power.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the turmoil during 2024.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for numerous deaths during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision 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 government's record on individual freedoms.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under tightened security before the decision on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and cheering as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

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

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and abuse.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations earlier this year indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the trial.

Before the decision, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, 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 minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

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

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the decision had been otherwise".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he added.

Last week, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her former home minister and police chief.

While the sentence 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 Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Both she and the organization has apologised or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

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

The activist added that the sentence was not closure for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We support multiple individuals who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of the nation's political landscape again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.