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Bangladesh's former prime minister has been given a death sentence for atrocities stemming from her crackdown on student-led protests which resulted in her ousting.

The court convicted Sheikh Hasina of allowing lethal force to be used against activists, with approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives during the disturbances during 2024.

The trial proceeded while she was absent by the International Crimes Court in Bangladesh, since she went into exile in India since she was forced from power in July 2024.

The prosecution alleged of being the mastermind of hundreds of killings during the protests. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the process as "prejudiced and driven by politics".

This judgment represents a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, as the protests revealed fury over extended periods of oppression. Families of those killed and harmed had demanded strict sentences.

Reacting to the verdict in a comprehensive declaration, Hasina said the capital punishment was the interim government's way of "eliminating her political faction" as a electoral entity and that she was satisfied of her leadership's history on civil liberties.

"I do not fear to confront those accusing me in a proper tribunal where the facts can be assessed and examined justly."

The capital, Dhaka, where the court convened, was under enhanced protection before the ruling on Monday, with several of her detractors staging a rally and cheering as the judgment was announced.

The capital witnessed a recent spike in unrest, with numerous incendiary devices set off and coaches ignited in the time before the verdict.

A minimum of one detonation was reported in Dhaka on Monday morning, with no victims identified, area law enforcement officer Jisanul Haque stated to press agencies.

The protest movement led by students during 2024 began with calls to eliminate public sector reservation policies but transformed into a more extensive dissent initiative.

UN human rights investigators declared in an analysis in February that the nearly 1,400 casualties could represent "violations of human dignity".

The paper detailed the firing at close quarters of certain demonstrators, the deliberate maiming of further participants, unjustified apprehensions and abuse.

Disclosed sound files of a call made by the former leader authenticated by external reviews in previous months suggested she had authorized the use of "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The sound file was broadcast in court during the legal process.

Ahead of the verdict, family members of those who died in the demonstrations stated to media representatives they wanted the former leader to face strict penalties.

Ramjan Ali, 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 partner was fatally injured near Dhaka in August 2024, said she wanted Hasina's sentence to be "implemented before the election".

"Exclusively thereafter the relatives of the deceased [in the protests] will obtain solace in their hearts."

Following her removal, an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge. A general election is set for February 2026.

However, the Hasina's political party, Hasina's political party, was banned by Bangladesh's temporary leadership in May.

Hasina warned during the past month that if the her faction's nominees were barred from participating in the upcoming election, numerous would avoid the vote.

The verdict now poses a diplomatic challenge for the neighboring countries. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition but so far India has expressed no readiness to acquiesce.

Hasina's state-appointed lawyer Mohammad Amir Hossain said he was "disappointed and hoping the verdict had been different".

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

Recently, Hasina's lawyers said they had submitted an immediate petition to the UN raising serious fair trial and judicial process problems at the ICT.

Legal proceedings involved Hasina alongside her previous domestic affairs official and police chief.

While the sentence grants partial finality to families of killed in the protests, it may do little to soothe the state's ideological splits.

"The fury directed at Hasina and the her political party has not decreased," a civil liberties campaigner in Dhaka informed media outlets. "Neither she nor the party has said sorry or shown any remorse for the fatalities of countless citizens."

The advocate declared "This complicates matters for the organization to receive endorsement by a bulk of the population in this state."

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

"We support numerous persons who underwent irreversible limb loss, they are now disabled, due to the crackdown. They cannot pardon her."

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "fundamental aspect of the condemnation could make it increasingly challenging" for the political faction to become a normal feature of the nation's political landscape again.

This might transform if "there is some kind of apology and a disassociation with Sheikh Hasina and the previous administration," he said.