Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Monday sentenced Ms Hasina to death, declaring her the “mastermind and principal architect” of the crackdown on protesters that led to the death of about 1,400.

Ms Hasina, 78, who fled the country to India, was tried and sentenced in absentia. Her home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, was also sentenced to death for his role in a bloody crackdown on protesters.

However, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, former police chief, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the crackdown.

The Bangladesh court explained that its lenient sentence for the former police chief was based on his contribution to the trial, including “material evidence to the tribunal to arrive at the correct decision”.

Mrs Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 20 years. She was ousted last year through a bloody youth-led revolution.

The United Nations reported that about 1,400 people were killed by security forces during the protests.

“The repression of mass protests in Bangladesh last year that toppled longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina left as many as 1,400 people dead in just 46 days – the vast majority shot by security forces,” UN human rights chief Volker Türk said.