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, along with two former members of her administration: former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun. The charges stem from alleged crimes against humanity committed during the student-led protests that culminated in the fall of her Awami League government in August 2024.
The three-member tribunal will deliver its verdict concerning the government’s response to the “July Uprising,” a period of widespread unrest between July 15 and August 15, 2024. A United nations rights office report estimates up to 1,400 people were killed during this time consequently of a sweeping security crackdown ordered by the Hasina administration.
Ms. hasina and Mr. Kamal are being tried 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 Mohammad Tajul islam has characterized Ms. Hasina as the ”mastermind and principal architect” of the alleged atrocities. Supporters of the former Prime Minister maintain the charges are politically motivated.
The tribunal concluded hearings on October 23, 2025, after 28 working days, during which 54 witnesses provided testimony regarding the state’s response to the student-led movement that led to the government’s collapse on August 5, 2024.
Following the unrest, Ms. Hasina fled bangladesh and is currently residing in india. Mr. Kamal is also believed to have sought refuge in India. the current interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has requested Ms. Hasina’s extradition, but India has not yet responded to the request.
Ahead of the verdict, security has been significantly heightened across the nation. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali issued shoot-at-sight orders on November 16, 2025, targeting individuals involved in arson, explosions, or attacks on police and civilians.
The now-disbanded awami League has called for a two-day shutdown in anticipation of the judgment. Army troops, Border Guard Bangladesh personnel, and riot police have been deployed around the International Crimes tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD) complex, and streets in the capital are largely deserted due to fears of potential violence.
The charges against Ms. Hasina, Mr. Kamal, and Mr. Mamun include murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhumane acts. A central accusation alleges Ms. Hasina ordered the “extermination” of protesters and directed the use of deadly weapons against students. Specific charges relate to the shooting deaths of six unarmed protesters in dhaka and surrounding areas.
Ms. Hasina has consistently denounced the tribunal as a “kangaroo court” aligned with her political opponents, and in a recent interview with PTI, stated her willingness to face trial under international supervision, even at the International Criminal 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 Liberation War. the Yunus administration subsequently amended its mandate to include the prosecution of leaders from the previous regime,resulting in the arrest or flight of most senior Awami League figures.
