bangladesh Tribunal to Deliver Verdict Against Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
dhaka, November 17, 2025 – A special tribunal in Bangladesh is set to pronounce its judgment today against deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, โขalong with two former members of her administration: former โHome Minister Asaduzzaman โขKhan Kamalโค and former โฃpolice chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun. The chargesโ stem from alleged crimes against humanity committed during the student-led protests that โขculminatedโ in the fall of her โAwami League government โฃin August 2024.
The three-member tribunal will deliver its verdict concerning the government’s response โขto the “July Uprising,” a period of widespread unrest between July 15 and Augustโข 15, โข2024. A United nations rights officeโฃ report estimates up to 1,400 peopleโ were killed during this time consequently of a sweeping security crackdown ordered by the Hasinaโข administration.
Ms. โhasina and Mr. Kamal are being triedโค in absentia after being declared fugitives.Mr. Mamun initially faced trial in person but later became an approver for the prosecution. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for all three accused.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammadโ Tajul islam has characterized Ms. Hasina as the โ”mastermind and principal architect” of the alleged atrocities. Supportersโค of โtheโ former Prime Minister maintain the โchargesโ are politically motivated.
The tribunal concluded hearings on October 23, 2025, after 28 working days, during which 54 witnesses โขprovided testimony regarding the state’s response โคto the student-led movement โฃthat led to the government’s collapse on August 5, 2024.
Following the unrest, Ms. Hasina fled bangladesh and isโ currently residingโข in india. Mr. Kamal is โalso believed to โhave sought refuge in India. the current interim โgovernment, led by Muhammad Yunus, has requested Ms. Hasina’s โextradition,โข but India has not yet responded to the request.
Ahead of the verdict, โsecurity has been significantly heightened across โคthe nation. Dhakaโ Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issued shoot-at-sight orders on November 16, 2025, โฃtargeting individuals involved inโฃ arson, explosions, or attacks on police and civilians.
The now-disbanded โawami League has called for a two-day shutdown in anticipation โof โฃthe judgment. Army troops, โBorder Guardโค Bangladesh personnel, andโฃ riot police have beenโ deployed around the International โCrimes tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD) complex, and streets in the capital are largely โdeserted due to โfears of potential violence.
The charges againstโ Ms. Hasina, Mr.โ Kamal, and Mr. Mamun include murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhumane acts. โA centralโฃ accusationโข allegesโข Ms. Hasina ordered the “extermination” of protestersโค and directed the use of deadly weapons against students. Specific charges โฃrelate to the โshooting โคdeaths of six unarmed โขprotesters in dhaka and surrounding areas.
Ms. Hasina has โฃconsistently denounced the tribunal โคas a “kangaroo court” aligned with her political opponents,โข and in a โrecent interview with PTI, stated her willingness โฃto face โขtrial under international supervision, evenโค at the โคInternational Criminalโ Court in The Hague, alleging that mr. Yunus is avoiding such a process as an impartial tribunal would acquit her.
The ICT-BD was originally established to prosecute collaborators of Pakistani forces during bangladesh’s 1971 โLiberation War. the Yunus administration subsequently amended its mandate to include the โขprosecutionโข of โleaders from the previous regime,resulting in the arrest orโ flight โof most senior Awami โLeague figures.