DHAKA: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) has declared former prime minister Sheikh Hasina guilty of alleged crimes against humanity linked to last year’s student-led uprising that resulted in the collapse of her Awami League government.
Hasina, currently living in exile, was tried in absentia.
The tribunal is also delivering its verdict against two of her close allies,former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun,on similar charges.
Mamun was produced before the court for the judgment. Prosecutors have demanded the death penalty for all three accused.
Meanwhile, the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus has intensified security measures across Dhaka and other regions due to scattered incidents of violence and crude bomb attacks ahead of the tribunal’s highly awaited decision.
Bangladesh has remained politically unstable since the end of Hasina’s 15-year rule, with violence overshadowing preparations for the general elections expected in February 2026.
According to the United Nations, nearly 1,400 people were killed during government crackdowns as Hasina attempted to retain power deaths that became a central part of the prosecution’s case.
Prosecutors submitted five separate charges against Hasina, alleging that she failed to prevent killings, an offense categorized as a crime against humanity under Bangladeshi law.
The tribunal heard months of testimony in her absence, including claims that she directly ordered mass violence.
Hasina, however, dismissed the proceedings, calling the trial a “mockery of justice.”
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