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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity stemming from her severe measures on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people were killed during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The decision signifies a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and wounded had called for tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to face my accusers in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina staging a rally and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque told press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through demands to abolish government job quotas but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

United Nations rights examiners declared in an analysis in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could represent "human rights atrocities".

The report documented the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews during the current year implied she had approved the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest stated to media representatives 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 Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will achieve closure in their hearts."

After her departure, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the her former political organization, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

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

The judgment creates a international dilemma for India and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but to date India has demonstrated no inclination to agree.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "sad [and wishes] the verdict had been different".

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

Last week, her legal team said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial together with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Even though the verdict grants partial finality to relatives of the deceased in the protests, it may have minimal effect on calming the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist told news organizations. "Neither she nor the party has expressed regret or demonstrated contrition for the deaths of numerous individuals."

The advocate declared "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this nation."

The activist added that the penalty was not closure for the kin of those who died and were wounded.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a regular participant of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the former hierarchy," he stated.