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The ex-prime minister of Bangladesh has been given a death sentence for human rights violations due to her harsh response on youth demonstrations which caused her forced departure.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of authorizing deadly measures to be used against demonstrators, among whom around 1,400 people lost their lives during the unrest in the previous year.

The trial proceeded in absentia by the special international tribunal in Bangladesh, having been exiled in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being behind multiple fatalities during the protests. Hasina has denied every accusation, labeling the proceedings as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

The verdict marks a decisive point for Bangladesh, as the protests unleashed anger over years of repression. Next of kin of victims and harmed had requested strict sentences.

Answering the judgment in a detailed document, the former leader stated the execution sentence was the caretaker administration's way of "eradicating the Awami League" as a political force and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on individual freedoms.

"I am not afraid to confront those accusing me in a fair court where the proof can be evaluated and examined justly."

The nation's capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under tightened security ahead of the ruling on Monday, with many of Hasina's critics organizing a demonstration and applauding as the judgment was announced.

The city has seen a sudden increase in turmoil, with numerous incendiary devices set off and buses set on fire in the time before the verdict.

One explosive incident was recorded in Dhaka on Monday morning, with zero injuries documented, local police official the police spokesperson informed press agencies.

The student-led uprising in the previous year started with calls to eliminate state employment quotas but morphed into a wider anti-government movement.

International human rights monitors said in a report in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could constitute "crimes against humanity".

The paper detailed the shooting at point-blank range of some protesters, the deliberate maiming of others, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Unauthorized recordings of a telephone conversation involving Hasina confirmed by media examinations during the current year suggested she had approved the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented in court during the legal process.

Prior to the ruling, relatives of those fatally injured in the unrest informed news agencies they wanted strict consequences for Hasina.

Ramjan Ali, whose family member was fatally wounded in July 2024, said he wanted "strict sentence" for her and co-accused who have "engaged in retaliatory actions and abused their power".

Another relative, whose husband was killed near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted her penalty to be "implemented before the election".

"Solely at that point the kin of victims [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Since Hasina's ousting, an caretaker administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A parliamentary election is set for February 2026.

Nonetheless, the Awami League, Hasina's political party, was prohibited by Bangladesh's interim government in May.

Hasina warned in the previous month that if the the League's representatives were prohibited from running in the imminent electoral process, numerous would avoid the vote.

This decision presents a foreign relations issue for both nations. Authorities have sought her repatriation but to date India has shown no willingness to comply.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer the defense lawyer said he was "disappointed and hoping the outcome had varied".

"I cannot even contest because my defendants are not present; which is why I am disappointed," he continued.

Recently, the defense attorneys said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN highlighting significant due process and due process issues at the ICT.

Hasina was tried alongside her ex-interior minister and security forces head.

Although the punishment offers some closure to kin of victims in the protests, it may not significantly ease the nation's partisan rifts.

"The fury directed at Sheikh Hasina and the the former ruling faction has not diminished," a Dhaka-based rights activist informed media outlets. "The leader and her faction has said sorry or displayed repentance for the fatalities of countless citizens."

She said "This complicates matters for the faction to gain approval by a majority of people in this country."

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

"We assist numerous persons who lost their limbs forever, they are currently without limbs, because of the suppression. They will never be able to forgive her."

A journalist, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "inherent character of the guilty verdict could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a regular participant of the country's governance system again.

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