The charges were formally submitted in June 2025 by the prosecution, led by Mohammad Tajul Islam, while court-appointed attorney Amir Hossain represented the defendants tried in absentia. The proceedings were adjudicated by a three-judge panel of the tribunal. The charges stemmed from the state's response to the 2024 protests, which international observers and human rights organisations described as among the deadliest civilian crackdowns in Bangladesh since independence.[6][7][8][9]
In mid‑2024, mass demonstrations led by university students demanding an end to the 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, an action that the tribunal alleges Sheikh Hasina orchestrated as the "mastermind".[12][13]
The 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]
On 10 July 2025, the ICT formally indicted Sheikh Hasina on five counts of crimes against humanity.[28] 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.[29] The prosecution presented surveillance footage, drone logs, hospital records, and leaked government communications as part of its preliminary evidence.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]
Contempt conviction
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 "licence to kill" due to having faced 227 legal cases in the past.[33]
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.[34]
Proceedings and timeline
After the 10 July indictment, the tribunal scheduled opening statements for 3 August 2025, with witness testimony to begin the following day.[35] The prosecution indicated that it would call around 84 witnesses, including medical personnel, journalists, survivors, and former security officials.[36] The court appointed public defenders to represent the absent defendants under tribunal rules.[37]
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.[40] He identified senior officials as responsible, including Sheikh Hasina, and demanded maximum punishment.[41] Another witness, Abdullah Al Imran, testified that he heard Hasina ordering hospital authorities "no release, no treatment" for injured protesters.[42] He was denied treatment at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation.[43]
On 17 November, 2025, the ICT found her guilty on three of the five charges[45] of preventing justice, ordering killings and failing to take measures to stop punitive killings.[46] The verdict, as read by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder[47] noted:[5]
Accused prime minister Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement order and also failure to take preventive and punitive measures under charge 1. Accused Sheikh Hasina committed one count of crimes against humanity by her order to use drones, helicopters and lethal weapons under charge number 2.
Hasina and Kamal were sentenced to capital punishment as well as seizure of all assets belonging to them. The confiscation covers the properties declared in their affidavits submitted for the 12th National Parliament Election.[48]
Though Mamun was found guilty, he avoided the death penalty as he turned into a state witness[49] and sentenced to five years in prison.[46][50] He also apologized to the court and the country.[51] Hasina's conviction was premised on her having ordered the deployment of drones, helicopters and lethal weapons, as well as "by virtue of her order" the killings of 12 protesters in the areas of Chankarpul in Dhaka and Ashulia in Savar. She was further sentenced to imprisonment, until the death penalty was carried out, on three other counts. The court further ordered compensation to the families of the victims.[5]
Further charges
Following the death sentence, on 27 November, three cases brought by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over property purchases in the Purbachal New Town project. resulted in a further 7-year sentence for each charge by Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun of Dhaka Special Judge Court-5.[52] His judgement ruled:[53]
[Hasina's conduct] demonstrates a persistent corruption mindset rooted in entitlement, unchecked power, and a greedy eye for public property. Treating public land as a private asset, she directed her greedy eye toward state resources and manipulated official procedures to benefit herself and her close relatives.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed, and daughter, Saima Wazed, were also sentenced to five years in prison in one of the cases. Public Prosecutor Khan Moinul Hasan south to appeal the verdict seeking the maximum sentence.[53]
Reactions
Pre-verdict
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.[54] Party general secretary Obaidul Quader called the trial a "farce" designed for political vendetta by "anti-liberation" forces.[55] Hasina's son and advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy, predicted that his mother would be sentenced to death, but they would not appeal the verdict to the Supreme Court of Bangladesh unless an elected government took office with the Awami League[56] as well as threatening again to disrupt the 2026 general election.[57] He also said that she would be safe because India is providing her with security.[58] He further threatened to block the 2026 Bangladeshi general election following their party's ban.[59]
International observers, including the United Nations Human Rights Office, expressed cautious support for judicial accountability while warning of serious rights concerns and urging impartiality.[60][61]
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.[62]
Prior to the announcement of the verdict, Hasina released an audio message in which she asserted that the allegations and charges against her were "false" and that she was still alive.[63]
Post-verdict
Domestic
University students and the public react at TSC to the trial of Sheikh Hasina.Newspaper coverage on 18 November 2025, with Hasina's trial and death penalty being in the headline
The verdict was broadly welcomed by most Bangladeshi political parties as well as the general public.[64] Family members of the victims in court applauded the verdict.[45] In preparation for the verdict, police had issued shoot-at-sight orders against violent actors.[65] Later the army and police used batons and sound grenades against students from Dhaka College near Dhanmondi 32,[66] who had gathered with excavators to demolish the remnants of Hasina's father's house.[67] Demonstrators outside the International Crimes Tribunal staged a symbolic protest by broadcasting a mock "missing notice" for Hasina and her family, mimicking public announcements typically made for missing persons.[68] Students at the University of Dhaka (DU) gathered at the Teacher–Student Centre (TSC) to watch the verdict on a large screen set up by Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU), with many celebrating and distributing sweets.[69]
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam, who led the case, reacted to the verdict by saying that "all international norms and standards" and that the "evidence presented here would stand in any court in the world." He concluded by saying: "This verdict proves that no one is above the law, no matter how powerful."[5] Attorney General Mohammed Asaduzzaman reacted by saying: "This verdict will remain "a milestone for justice and the rule of law in Bangladesh."[70]
Hasina criticized the interim government of Muhammed Yunus by saying Hindus were allegedly being attacked, as well as criticizing alleged judicial impartiality. She issued a statement that read:[71] "They are biased and politically motivated. In their distasteful call for the death penalty, they reveal the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh's last elected prime minister, and to nullify the Awami League as a political force." Her Awami League called for a countrywide shutdown that day.[72]
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Salahuddin Ahmed spoke from DU and said that the punishment was "less than the gravity of the crimes" and that the "judgment proves that no matter how powerful a fascist or autocrat becomes, they will one day have to stand in the dock," while calling for other related cases to also result in such judgments."[5] BNP youth leader and Mir Mugdho's brother, Mir Snigdho, said of the verdict against Mamun that "we will appeal...[the] five-year sentence, or at the very least, we want life imprisonment."[46]Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mia Golam Parwar hailed the verdict as "an important day for Bangladesh."[46] The Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh called on India to extradite Hasina. The statement read: "Providing refuge to these individuals, who have been convicted of crimes against humanity, by any other country would be a highly unfriendly act and a disregard for justice."[73]
International
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk wanted Bangladesh to "move forward with a comprehensive process of truth-telling, reparation and justice as the pathway to national reconciliation and healing." He added: "The Office stands ready to support the Government and people of Bangladesh in these endeavours." Human Rights Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani released a press statement stating that the "Hasina verdict is an important moment for victims." She added, though, that they oppose death penalties in all circumstances.[74]
India's Ministry of External Affairs released a statement a few hours after the verdict that read they are aware of the decision and that "as a neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh."[75] It added: "We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end."[76]
According to Al Jazeera, Sheikh Hasina's extradition from India is unlikely.[78][79] due to close ties with her party and strained relations with the interim government of Bangladesh.[79] Sanjay Bharadwaj, a professor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that the incumbent government of Bangladesh is viewed as "anti-India forces" by the Indian government, and Hasina's return would mean "legitimizing" them.[79] Michael Kugelman, senior fellow with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, expressed concerns of violent actions from the Awami League in reaction to the verdict ahead of 2026 general election.[78] Sabir Mustafa, former head of BBC Bangla, considered the trial to be "seriously flawed," and that a death penalty for a case held in absentia was "unjust."[78]
Indian pro-government news channels such as Republic Bangla, News 18, Swadesh News and Asia Net News broadcast or used a still image of a video that shows a major torchlight procession, which they claimed to be a demonstration of the post-verdict "shutdown" programme of the Awami League in Bangladesh. However, Prothom Alo found that the procession was organised by a BNP faction days before the trial over the local electoral nomination-related problems.[80]
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