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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for human rights violations over her severe measures on student-led protests which caused her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances in the previous year.

Hasina was tried without her presence by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. The former leader rejected every accusation, describing the process as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The decision signifies a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had requested severe punishments.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a just legal forum where the evidence can be weighed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under increased safeguards prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and coaches ignited in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish state employment quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of certain demonstrators, the intentional injuring of others, unjustified apprehensions and mistreatment.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by investigative sources in previous months indicated she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the legal process.

Before the decision, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and exploited their positions".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Only then the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A parliamentary election is scheduled for February 2026.

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

She alerted in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the upcoming election, millions would boycott the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to agree.

The legal representative assigned to her the defense lawyer said he was "unhappy and desiring the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my clients are absent; for that reason I am disappointed," he continued.

Last week, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina together 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 country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not diminished," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told news organizations. "Both she and the organization has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

The activist stated "This creates challenges for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this nation."

The advocate continued that the penalty was not resolution for the relatives of those killed and injured.

"We work with several people who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They cannot pardon her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it particularly hard" for her party to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This may change if "an expression of regret occurs and a disassociation with Hasina and the old leadership," he stated.