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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her severe measures on protests led by students which resulted in her ousting.

Hasina was declared culpable of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the disturbances last year.

Hasina was tried while she was absent by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, as she resides in exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

Legal authorities charged her of being the mastermind of numerous deaths during the protests. Hasina has denied the entire case, calling the trial as "biased and politically motivated".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over long-standing suppression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had demanded tough penalties.

Responding to the decision in a five-page statement, she expressed the death penalty was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a governing body and that she was proud of her leadership's history on human rights.

"I do not fear to meet my challengers in a fair court where the facts can be assessed and tested fairly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the tribunal took place, was under increased safeguards prior to the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the sentence was declared.

The capital witnessed a sudden increase in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the days leading up to the verdict.

One explosive incident was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the authorities' representative informed media outlets.

The youth-driven revolt in the previous year began with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but transformed into a broader opposition campaign.

United Nations rights examiners said in a report in February that the approximately 1,400 deaths could amount to "human rights atrocities".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of a number of activists, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Leaked audio of a call made by the former leader confirmed by media examinations earlier this year implied she had approved the use of "fatal instruments" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest told press outlets they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

One relative, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "severe penalty" for Hasina and others who have "performed revengeful deeds and abused their power".

A different family member, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted the former leader's punishment to be "executed before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the kin of victims [in the protests] will find peace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an temporary leadership headed by economist Muhammad Yunus has assumed control. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

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

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

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

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer her legal counsel said he was "disappointed and hoping the decision had been otherwise".

"I even cannot appeal because my represented individuals are away; which is why I am disheartened," he stated further.

Last week, her legal team said they had lodged a prompt application to the UN raising significant due process and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Hasina was tried in conjunction with her ex-interior minister and top law enforcement officer.

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

"The resentment towards the former leader and the her political party has not diminished," a human rights advocate from the capital stated to press agencies. "The leader and her faction has expressed regret or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this country."

The advocate continued that the punishment was not finality for the kin of those fatally and non-fatally harmed.

"We support numerous persons who suffered permanent amputations, they are currently without limbs, as a result of the harsh measures. They will never be able to forgive her."

An analyst, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for her party to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

This may change if "there is some kind of apology and a separation from the former leader and the former hierarchy," he stated.