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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity over her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against activists, 1,400 of whom lost their lives 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.

Prosecutors accused her of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had demanded severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a detailed document, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her government's record on individual freedoms.

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

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards before the ruling on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer the police spokesperson told press agencies.

The student-led uprising during 2024 started with requests to remove state employment quotas but morphed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The study recorded the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina verified by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those killed during the protests told news agencies they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for the former leader and associates who have "performed revengeful deeds and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

"Solely at that point the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

After her departure, an caretaker administration led by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Awami League, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

Hasina warned last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the ballot.

This decision presents a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but until now India has shown no willingness to acquiesce.

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 defendants are not present; for that reason I am sad," he added.

The previous week, Hasina's lawyers said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN highlighting serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

Although the punishment offers some closure to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the nation's partisan rifts.

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a most citizens in this nation."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the kin of those killed and injured.

"We assist multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

An analyst, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for her party to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the former hierarchy," he said.