Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday convicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her top aides on charges of crimes against humanity for their alleged role in the violent suppression of mass student-led demonstrations in July 2024.
The tribunal is still reading out the detailed verdict, and the quantum of sentencing has not yet been announced. The co-accused convicted alongside Hasina are former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
The historic judgment was delivered by a three-member bench of Tribunal-1, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, and was broadcast live by Bangladesh Television (BTV) directly from the ICT courtroom in Dhaka.
Hasina has not returned to Bangladesh to face trial and has ignored multiple court orders. Asaduzzaman is also reported to be a fugitive. Mamun, currently in custody, has pleaded guilty and turned state witness – the first accused to do so since the tribunal’s establishment in 2010.
According to Dhanka reports, the formal charge documents span 8,747 pages, including references, seized evidence, and a detailed list of victims. Prosecutors have brought five charges against the accused, including failure to prevent murder – an offence classified as a crime against humanity under Bangladeshi law.
Hasina has repeatedly denied all allegations.
Also Read: Bangladesh lockdown: Protests erupt against Hasina trial
Meanwhile, Dhaka has been placed under an unprecedented security lockdown. On Sunday evening, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issued a “shoot-at-sight” order targeting individuals involved in arson attacks, crude bomb (cocktail) explosions, or attempts to harm police and civilians ahead of the ICT verdict.
A two-day strike called by Hasina’s Awami League for November 16-17 has coincided with a rise in arson and cocktail explosion incidents across the capital. According to the international daily, at least 21 Awami League leaders and workers – currently barred from political activity – were arrested during special operations in Narayanganj over the past 36 hours.
Also Read: Blasts rock Dhaka ahead of verdict against Sheikh Hasina
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