| Trial of Sheikh Hasina | |
|---|---|
| Court | International Crimes Tribunal-1 |
| Full case name | Chief Prosecutor vs. Sheikh Hasina & Others |
| Submitted | 1 June 2025 |
| Verdict | Trial ongoing |
| Charge |
|
| Prosecution | Mohammad Tajul Islam (On behalf of the State) [a] |
| Defense | Md Amir Hossain (On behalf of Sheikh Hasina, in absentia) [2] |
| Citation | ICT BD Case No. 02 of 2025 |
| Legislation cited | International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 |
| Case history | |
| Subsequent action | Separate contempt of court conviction (2 July 2025): 6 months in prison. [3] |
| Court membership | |
| Judges sitting |
|
The Chief Prosecutor vs. Sheikh Hasina & Others [4] refers to the ongoing legal proceedings against former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, who was indicted in 2025 on charges of crimes against humanity, with the proceedings currently taking place before the International Crimes Tribunal-1. [5] [6]
The charges stem from the government’s violent suppression of student-led protests during July and August 2024, which international observers and human rights groups described as "one of the deadliest civilian crackdowns" in Bangladesh’s history since independence. [7] [8] [9]
In mid‑2024, mass demonstrations led by university students demanding an end to perceived discriminatory quota in public jobs took place across Bangladesh. [10] The protests intensified across Dhaka and other major cities, and by late July, state security forces launched a violent crackdown under directives linked to Sheikh Hasina. [11] According to UN investigators, up to 1,400 civilians died during the crackdown—charges the tribunal says Sheikh Hasina orchestrated as “mastermind”. [12] [13]
On 5 August 2024, Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power and fled to India, triggering formal trial preparations. [14] An interim government led by Muhammad Yunus was formed on 8 August 2024. [15] On 14 October 2024, the interim government reconstituted the International Crimes Tribunal–1, appointing two judges of the High Court Division—Additional Judge Mohammad Golam Mortuza Mozumder as the chairman and Justice Md. Shofiul Alam Mahmood as member—alongside retired district judge Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury. [16] [17] [18]
The newly empowered International Crimes Tribunal issued arrest warrants in early 2025 targeting Hasina and key former officials for crimes against humanity. [19] On 1 June 2025, the prosecution formally filed charges against Hasina, naming her as the principal accused in the tribunal. [20]
The trial officially began on 1 June 2025 with the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) accepting the prosecution’s framing of the case as a matter of “coordinated and systematic violence” against unarmed civilians. [21] The trial marked the first time a former Bangladeshi prime minister was brought before the tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity. Proceedings were televised nationwide, a first in the country’s legal history. [22] The prosecution alleged that the Hasina government deployed conventional police and military units, as well as drones, helicopters, and incendiary weapons against demonstrators. [23]
The tribunal ruled that the trial ùwould proceed in absentia for Hasina and Kamal, both of whom had refused to return to Bangladesh despite formal summons and public notices. [24] On 19 June 2025, the tribunal appointed AY Moshiuzzaman, a senior jurist of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, as amicus curiae in the case. [25] Former IGP of Bangladesh, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who was taken into custody in May 2025, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify as a state witness. [26]
On 10 July 2025, the ICT formally indicted Sheikh Hasina on five counts of crimes against humanity. [27] The charges include orchestrating mass killings of protesters in Dhaka, the use of helicopters and drones to fire on civilian crowds, the murder of student activist Abu Sayed, the incineration of bodies in Ashulia to destroy evidence, and the coordinated killing of demonstrators in Chankharpul. [28] The prosecution presented surveillance footage, drone logs, hospital records, and leaked government communications as part of its preliminary evidence. [29] The tribunal concluded that the evidence supported a finding of a state-orchestrated attack on a civilian population with the intent to intimidate, suppress dissent, and obstruct democratic mobilization. [30] A total of 203 individuals, alongside Sheikh Hasina and several former government and police officials, have been indicted by the Tribunal, with 73 currently in custody. [31]
Separate from the main trial, Hasina was convicted of contempt of court on 2 July 2025 following the release of an audio recording in which she was allegedly heard stating that she had a “license to kill” due to having faced 227 legal cases in the past. [32]
The tribunal found the statement to be a direct affront to the integrity of the court and sentenced her to six months’ imprisonment in absentia. ICT maintained that the contempt conviction was procedurally independent from the war crimes charges. [33]
After the 10 July indictment, the tribunal scheduled opening statements for 3 August 2025, with witness testimony to begin the following day. [34] The prosecution indicated that it would call around 84 witnesses, including medical personnel, journalists, survivors, and former security officials. [35] The court appointed public defenders to represent the absent defendants under tribunal rules. [36]
On 3 August 2025, the prosecution presented its opening statement before a three‑judge panel headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder. [37] The statement outlined five charges and referenced 11 emblematic incidents of alleged crimes, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and obstruction of justice. [38]
On 4 August 2025, the tribunal heard the first witness testimony from Khokon Chandra Barmon, a protest survivor shot in the face in the Jatrabari crackdown. [39] He identified senior officials as responsible, including Sheikh Hasina, and demanded maximum punishment. [40]
Another witness, Abdullah Al Imran, testified that he heard Hasina ordering hospital authorities “no release, no treatment” for injured protesters. [41]
Proceedings are being broadcast live on state television. [39] The defendant Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty, was present in court and represented by counsel. [42] Defendants Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both tried in absentia and living abroad, are represented by court‑appointed attorney Amir Hossain. [36]
The Awami League, now banned from electoral politics, condemned the tribunal as a “kangaroo court” and accused the interim government of weaponising the judiciary to suppress dissent. [43] Party general secretary Obaidul Quader called the trial a “farce” designed for political vendetta by “anti‑liberation” forces. [44]
International observers, including the United Nations Human Rights Office, expressed cautious support for judicial accountability while warning of serious rights concerns and urging impartiality. [45] [46]
British journalist David Bergman expressed concern that the Tribunal-appointed lawyer representing both Sheikh Hasina and her co-accused, Asaduzzaman Khan, poses a conflict of interest, as their legal defenses could differ significantly and each should have separate representation. [47]
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