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

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, 1,400 of whom lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being responsible for multiple fatalities during the protests. She has refuted all charges, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over years of repression. Relatives of the deceased and wounded had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the execution sentence was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

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

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection ahead of the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in unrest, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, local police official the authorities' representative informed press agencies.

The youth-driven revolt during 2024 began with requests to remove public sector reservation policies but evolved into a more extensive dissent initiative.

International human rights monitors stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources in previous months implied she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those killed during the protests told press outlets they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

One relative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A general election is planned for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the her former political organization, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

The former leader cautioned last month that if the her faction's nominees were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and due process issues at the ICT.

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

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the state's ideological splits.

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka stated to news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or displayed repentance for the deaths of numerous individuals."

She said "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this state."

The campaigner further stated that the sentence was not finality for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support multiple individuals who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.