Sheikh Hasina Trial Verdict Today: Bangladesh on High Alert as Tribunal Decision Looms

Key Points:

Bangladesh is all tense as the day marks a verdict to be delivered in the trial of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by the special International Crime Tribunal (ICT). Hasina is now facing charges of crimes against humanity for her alleged involvement in the crackdown on student protests last year.

She is currently in India, having fled Bangladesh in 2024, imposing a self-imposed exile from her own country. She is now away from the nation where she was once seated unchallenged. The televised hearing has been held under heightened security given the recent violent incidents. The 78-year-old former Prime Minister of Bangladesh will be tried in absentia in the courtroom.

See Also: Extraditing Sheikh Hasina: Terrorists plot hostage siege at India’s Mission in Dhaka

The charges go back to the 2024 student-led protests, which were ignited by opposition to civil service job quotas, spiralling into a movement that shook the nation. The crackdown reportedly saw the deaths of over 1,400 people. Hasina has been accused of violence, torture, and killing regarding the crackdown, as per the tribunal. She was also sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for allegedly claiming a “license to kill” owing to the 227 pending cases against her, whose leaked audio recordings were also cited by the tribunal.

She was in power for 15 years, and her sudden resignation on 5th August 2025 marked a dramatic end to it. The country was left in turmoil as she fled to India by helicopter. Amidst all this, Sheikh Hasina has denied the accusations, calling the trial a “kangaroo court,” insisting she did not authorize any such killings.

See Also: Timeline of events leading to the resignation of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, is now in Washington, DC, and has shown concern over the verdict. He said, “They are going to convict her, and they will probably sentence her to death.” He further added, showing confidence that his mother is safe in India, as they are providing protection to her as a “head of state.”

The ICT was initially set up in 2009 to try war crimes from Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War but has now been repurposed to prosecute Hasina and her allies under the interim government. Charges have been faced by Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, with the trial opening on 1st June 2025.

Dhaka is now on high alert, with security forces placed in key areas. The key points will be broadcast live, as everyone has their eyes on the verdict. The verdict could give way to new changes in the nation, highlighting justice and the cost of power in a country that is still healing from a political storm. [Rh]

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