In a landmark ruling, Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison on Wednesday in a contempt of court case, according to a report by The Dhaka Tribune cited by news agency PTI.
The judgment was handed down by a three-member bench of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT), led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder. In the same verdict, the tribunal also sentenced Shakil Akand Bulbul of Gobindaganj, Gaibandha, to two months' imprisonment on similar charges.
This is the first judicial sentence issued against the former Awami League leader since her ouster from office and self-imposed exile 11 months ago, following widespread unrest and a dramatic change in the political landscape of Bangladesh.
Trial in Absentia Amid Charges of Crimes Against Humanity
Hasina’s sentencing follows the filing of five charges against her by prosecutors on July 1, including allegations of abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, and conspiracy—charges that fall under the legal framework for crimes against humanity in Bangladesh. These charges relate to the violent crackdown on mass protests that took place between July and August last year.
According to United Nations estimates, up to 1,400 people were killed during the two-month period when Hasina’s government attempted to suppress a student-led uprising. The unrest ultimately culminated in Hasina's flight to India in August 2024. She has since refused to comply with court orders to return to Dhaka. Her trial in absentia began on June 1.
In a statement issued from London, the now-banned Awami League dismissed the proceedings as politically motivated, calling the case a “show trial.” The party said that Sheikh Hasina “categorically denies the charges.”
Ongoing War Crimes Cases Against Hasina and Associates
Prosecutors allege that Hasina bears "overall command responsibility" in three separate and ongoing war crimes cases linked to the deadly suppression of the protest movement. These include the murder of 23-year-old student protester Abu Sayeed, the killing of six others in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area, and the killing and burning of six individuals in Ashulia, a suburb of the capital.
Hasina is being tried alongside two other senior former officials. One of them, ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, is also believed to be in hiding and remains a fugitive. The second, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, is currently in custody and facing trial on related charges.
A Defining Moment in Bangladeshi Politics
The verdict marks a significant escalation in the legal and political reckoning following Hasina’s fall from power. Once a dominant figure in South Asian politics and the leader of one of Bangladesh's most influential political dynasties, Hasina now finds herself facing the full force of a tribunal established to prosecute serious human rights violations.
Observers warn that the developments could have far-reaching implications not only for Bangladesh’s fragile political stability but also for the wider region, as accountability and transitional justice continue to intersect with shifting political allegiances.
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