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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on student-led protests which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had called for strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a detailed document, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and tested fairly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the verdict on Monday, with several of her detractors holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

Dhaka experienced a notable rise in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and public transport vehicles burned in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told media outlets.

The student-led uprising in the previous year began with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by external reviews during the current year indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Before the decision, kin of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

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

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

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

After her departure, an temporary leadership under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

The former leader cautioned last month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her return but to date India has expressed no readiness to comply.

The legal representative assigned to her Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told press agencies. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this state."

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

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

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