Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal to Deliver Verdict Against Sheikh Hasina on November 17

The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT-BD) on November 13, announced that it will deliver its verdict against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 17. Sheikh, a former Bangladesh prime minister, has been facing her trial in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity. The country saw political unrest during her tenure and Sheikh was criticized for her political stance. 

On Thursday, A journalist present at the heavily guarded special court in Dhaka said that the three-member tribunal fixed November 17 for pronouncing the judgment in her case, PTI reported. 

Hasina, along with her former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, faced trial before the tribunal. Both Hasina and Kamal were tried in absentia after being declared fugitives by the court.

ICT-BD’s Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam has earlier sought the death penalty for the accused. Mamun faced the trial in person but emerged as a state witness.

Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun appeared before the tribunal as ICT-BD Chair Justice Mohammad Golam Mortuza Majumder scheduled the verdict date.

The tribunal had concluded hearings on October 23 after 28 working days, during which 54 witnesses testified about attempts to suppress the ‘July Uprising’ led by students, which overthrew Sheikh’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

Army, BGB, and police were deployed across central Dhaka to secure the ICT-BD complex amid the Awami League’s ‘lockdown’ call, leaving the city’s streets largely deserted as most residents stayed indoors. Streets were unusually empty and many private institutions, universities chose to operate online, fearing the potential violence, according to PTI. 

Sheikh and her two associates were accused of committing crimes under five counts, Sheikh is also allagedly accused for attempting murder, torture, and other inhumane acts.

Sheikh faces charges of ordering the killing of protesters, inciting violence through inflammatory statements, and directing the use of lethal force, leading to the deaths of six unarmed protesters- including students in and around Dhaka.

“I have repeatedly challenged Yunus’ government to prosecute me in the International Criminal Court, if it is so confident of its case. Yunus continues to duck this challenge because he knows that the ICC, a genuinely impartial tribunal, would certainly acquit me,” she said as reported by PTI.

(With Inputs from PTI)