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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for human rights violations stemming from her crackdown on youth demonstrations which led to her removal from power.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of permitting fatal actions to be used against demonstrators, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, having been exiled 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 every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "unfair and agenda-driven".

The verdict marks a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a political force and that she was proud of her administration's performance on human rights.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection before the decision on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the verdict was read.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in disturbances, with dozens of bombs exploded and buses set on fire in the period preceding the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, regional security representative the authorities' representative told media outlets.

The student-led uprising last 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 approximately 1,400 deaths could constitute "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the gunfire from minimal distance of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of additional individuals, arbitrary arrests and torture.

Leaked audio of a telephone conversation involving Hasina authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those fatally injured in the unrest informed press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for the former leader and associates who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the families of those killed [in the protests] will find peace in their minds."

Since Hasina's ousting, an temporary leadership headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

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

She alerted during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the forthcoming vote, countless would abstain the vote.

The verdict now poses a international dilemma for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her extradition but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.

Her officially designated attorney her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

"I even cannot appeal because my defendants are not present; that's why I am sad," he stated further.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN pointing out serious fair trial and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

The former leader faced trial alongside her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The resentment towards Sheikh Hasina and the her political party has not subsided," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka told media outlets. "Both she and the organization has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a bulk of the population in this state."

The activist added that the punishment was not resolution for the families of those who died and were wounded.

"We assist several people who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it particularly hard" for the political faction to become a standard element of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he expressed.