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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been sentenced to death for atrocities stemming from her harsh response on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of permitting fatal actions to be used against protesters, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the unrest during 2024.

Legal proceedings were conducted 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.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. The former leader rejected all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and injured had demanded strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the death penalty was the caretaker administration's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was proud of her administration's performance on individual freedoms.

"I do not fear to face my accusers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and reviewed impartially."

The capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under tightened security before the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics holding a protest and cheering as the verdict was read.

The city has seen a sudden increase in disturbances, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was noted in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official Jisanul Haque told news organizations.

The student-led uprising during 2024 began with calls to eliminate government job quotas but morphed into a broader opposition campaign.

UN human rights investigators stated in a document in February that the around 1,400 fatalities could constitute "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the gunfire from minimal distance of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and torture.

Leaked audio of one of Hasina's phone calls authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Ahead of the verdict, relatives of those killed during the protests informed media representatives they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and misused their authority".

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

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration led by economic expert Muhammad Yunus has assumed power. A national vote is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

The former leader cautioned during the past month that if the party's candidates were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the election.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for both nations. The Bangladesh government has asked her repatriation but so far India has demonstrated no inclination to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "unhappy and desiring the decision had been otherwise".

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; for that reason I am disheartened," he continued.

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising significant due process and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment grants partial finality to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the country's political divisions.

"The resentment towards Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital told press agencies. "The leader and her faction has apologised or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This creates challenges for the organization to receive endorsement by a most citizens in this country."

The activist added that the sentence was not resolution for the families of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We work with multiple individuals who lost their limbs forever, they are amputees now, because of the suppression. They are incapable of excusing 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 Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a distancing from Hasina and the previous administration," he stated.