Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina sentenced to 6 months in jail by International Crimes Tribunal

The sentence marks the first time that the ousted Awami League leader has been sentenced in any case since she fled the country around a year ago.

Updated on: Jul 2, 2025, 14:51:15 IST

By HT News Desk | Edited by Majid Alam

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Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to six months in prison in a contempt of court case by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday.

Bangladesh former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. (File) (AP)

The verdict was issued by a three-member bench of the International Crimes Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

The report added that the tribunal also sentenced Shakil Akand Bulbul of Gobindaganj in Gaibandha to two months in prison in the same case.

Also Read: Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s son visits India to meet her

The sentence marks the first time that the ousted Awami League leader has been sentenced in any case since she fled the country around a year ago.

In June this year, the prosecutors at the International Crimes Tribunal formally charged Hasina of crimes against humanity during the mass protest last year. Mohammad Tajul Islam, the chief prosecutor at ICT alleged that Hasina orchestrated a "systemic attack" on protests against her government.

Also Read: Sheikh Hasina formally charged with ‘crimes against humanity’ in Bangladesh as key trial begins

According to a UN rights office report, around 1,400 were killed between July 15 and August 15, 2024, as retaliatory violence continued even after the fall of the past regime.

Hasina, however, has denied all charges, telling journalists that he would present "arguments to seek her discharge from these allegations," according to fefence lawyer Amir Hossain.

Hasina arrived in India in August 2024 after the dramatic collapse of the Awami League government following nationwide protests. She is currently living in a safe house in New Delhi.

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