Sheikh Hasina verdict: Bangladesh court begins reading judgment in crimes against humanity case
The 78-year year old Hasina is now in India.
Bangladesh's former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, has gone into hiding.
Former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is the only accused person who is present in court today.
Chowdhury pleaded guilty in July for his involvement in the uprising last year and has given testimony as the state's witness.
Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and another co-accused, ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, have both gone into hiding.
The three-member bench led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder reading out from 453-page judgement.
Prosecutors have sought death penalty for the former Prime Minister.
Bangladesh is bracing for a tense and potentially decisive week as a special tribunal in Dhaka prepares to deliver a televised verdict against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina — a ruling that could sentence the 78-year-old leader to death. Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 following months of massive student-led protests, faces charges of crimes against humanity over a deadly crackdown last year that left hundreds dead. She has strongly denied the allegations, calling the case politically motivated and branding the International Crimes Tribunal a “kangaroo court.”
Speaking to reporters, Mir Mahbubur Rahman Snigdho — brother of slain protester Mir Mugdho — said Hasina “deserves the maximum penalty many times over,” adding that the public had already delivered its judgment when she was ousted on August 5, 2024.
Syed Gazi Rahman, father of protester Mutasir Rahman, urged authorities to ensure “a swift and public punishment,” accusing the former leader of “emptying the hearts of thousands of families,” news agency Al-Jazera reported.
Mohammad Abu Bakar Shikder, whose son Habidur was killed, demanded Hasina be brought back from India to face justice. “The sentence should be enforced on Bangladeshi soil so the families and the public can see it,” he said.
Her son, Sajeed Wazed, has warned of severe political unrest if the interim administration refuses to lift the ban on the Awami League, the party Hasina led for decades.
In an interview with Reuters, Wazed said his mother was “upset, angry, outraged” and insisted their supporters would not allow the February national elections to proceed without the Awami League’s participation. He cautioned that protests inside Bangladesh could escalate into violence, alleging the verdict was predetermined and part of a broader plan to erase Hasina from politics.
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