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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been sentenced to death for human rights violations over her severe measures on protests led by students which led to her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India following her ouster in July 2024.

Prosecutors accused her of being behind hundreds of killings during the protests. She has refuted the entire case, labeling the proceedings as "biased and politically motivated".

The verdict marks a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over long-standing suppression. Families of those killed and harmed had requested severe punishments.

Answering the judgment in a five-page statement, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "nullifying [her party] the Awami League" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I have no trepidation to face my accusers in a fair court where the evidence can be weighed and reviewed impartially."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the legal proceedings occurred, was under enhanced protection prior to the verdict on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and celebrating as the judgment was announced.

Dhaka experienced a recent spike in turmoil, with multiple explosives detonated and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

At least one bomb explosion was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, local police official the police spokesperson told news organizations.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 started with calls to eliminate government job quotas but transformed into a wider anti-government movement.

United Nations rights examiners stated in a document in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could represent "violations of human dignity".

The study recorded the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the intentional injuring of further participants, unwarranted detentions and torture.

Disclosed sound files of one of Hasina's phone calls verified by investigative sources during the current year suggested she had sanctioned the use of "deadly arms" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the proceedings.

Prior to the ruling, family members of those killed during the protests told media representatives they wanted Hasina to be punished severely.

A family representative, whose brother was shot dead in July 2024, said he wanted "exemplary punishment" for Hasina and others who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and exploited their positions".

A different family member, whose spouse died near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "executed 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 headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nevertheless, the Hasina's political party, the former ruling party, was outlawed by Bangladesh's caretaker administration in May.

She alerted during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the imminent electoral process, millions would boycott the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for the neighboring countries. Authorities have sought her extradition but until now India has expressed no readiness to comply.

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

"I am unable to challenge because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am sad," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting major judicial fairness and legal procedure concerns at the ICT.

Hasina was tried together with her former home minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not subsided," a human rights advocate from the capital informed news organizations. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or shown any remorse for the killings of hundreds of people."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the party to be accepted by a bulk of the population in this nation."

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

"We work with numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are amputees now, as a result of the harsh measures. They are incapable of excusing her."

David Bergman, an observer of Bangladeshi affairs, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it particularly hard" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

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