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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity due to her crackdown on protests led by students which resulted in her forced departure.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals died during the turmoil during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and wounded had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the temporary leadership's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a just legal forum where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, 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 sudden increase in turmoil, with dozens of bombs exploded and public transport vehicles burned in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official Jisanul Haque stated to media outlets.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year started with demands to abolish public sector reservation policies but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "crimes against humanity".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of others, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader confirmed by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "executed before the election".

"Only then the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, her political faction, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The judgment creates a foreign relations issue for India and Bangladesh. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but to date India has shown no willingness to agree.

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

"I cannot even contest because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment provides certain resolution to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The anger against Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The activist stated "It makes it difficult for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the sentence was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We assist numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he said.