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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for crimes against humanity due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom were killed during the disturbances in the previous year.

Legal proceedings were conducted in absentia by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India after being removed from office in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. The former leader rejected the entire case, calling the trial as "unfair and agenda-driven".

This judgment represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh, as the protests brought forth resentment over extended periods of oppression. Next of kin of victims and injured had demanded tough penalties.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, she expressed the death penalty was the temporary leadership's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was content of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

Bangladesh's main city, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under enhanced protection prior to the decision on Monday, with numerous opponents of Hasina holding a protest and celebrating as the sentence was declared.

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

At least one bomb explosion was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no casualties reported, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque informed press agencies.

The protest movement led by students in the previous year commenced through requests to remove government job quotas 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 "violations of human dignity".

The report documented the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the purposeful disabling of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls confirmed by media examinations in previous months indicated she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The audio was played in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, kin of those who died in the demonstrations told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, whose sibling was killed in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "committed acts of vengeance and misused their authority".

Another relative, whose partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "carried out before the election".

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

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration under the guidance of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is scheduled for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

She alerted last month that if the the League's representatives were banned from standing in the forthcoming vote, millions would boycott the election.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her repatriation but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my clients are absent; which is why I am sad," he added.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had filed an urgent appeal to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a Dhaka-based rights activist stated to news organizations. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the killings of hundreds of people."

She said "It makes it difficult for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

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

A journalist, a commentator on the nation's politics, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of the country's governance system again.

This could alter if "a form of contrition emerges and a separation from Hasina and the old leadership," he said.