Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to six months in prison by a war crimes tribunal in Dhaka for contempt of court. The tribunal, which was established in 2009 to investigate war crimes related to the 1971 independence war, convicted Hasina in absentia after she fled the country following a 2024 coup. The charges stem from a controversial phone conversation where prosecutors alleged she claimed to have a license to kill 227 people, corresponding to the 227 cases filed against her. This is the first prison sentence for Hasina since her departure from Bangladesh, with her defense team planning to contest the ruling and seek her discharge.
The tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Islam, accused Hasina of orchestrating a “systemic attack” on protestors, citing a recent UN report that documented over 1,400 deaths and thousands of injuries during the 2024 protests. Hasina, who resigned on August 5, 2024, has maintained her innocence and plans to present arguments to seek her discharge from the allegations. The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, banned the Awami League from participating in the next general election.
Hasina, who remains in exile in India, continues to face legal challenges. The Bangladesh government has sent a diplomatic note to India requesting her return for trial, but the Indian government has not yet responded. The decision to prosecute Hasina for contempt of court highlights the ongoing political tensions in the country, as her government was deposed in 2024, leading to a power vacuum. The trial’s outcome may have significant implications for the future of Bangladesh’s judicial processes and the political landscape in the region.