Bangladesh‘s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) on Thursday declared that it will deliver the verdict against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 17, following her trial in absentia for alleged crimes against humanity.
The three-judge tribunal set November 17 for delivering the verdict.
Hasina, 78, has defied court orders to return from India to attend her trial on charges of ordering a deadly crackdown in a failed attempt to suppress a student-led uprising that saw her removal.
“Justice will be served according to the law,” ICT-BD Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam said. “We have completed a long journey and are now in its final phase. The court will pronounce the verdict on the 17th,” he added. Hasina’s trial in absentia, which began on June 1, heard months of testimony alleging she ordered mass killings.
Hasina, her home minister in the ousted Awami League government, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and then inspector general of police (IGP) or police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were tried in the tribunal. The ex-premier and Kamal were tried in absentia, with the court declaring them fugitives.
Islam had earlier sought the death penalty for the accused.
Mamun, who appeared in person during the trial, later became an approver, serving as a state witness.
The tribunal wrapped up hearings on October 23 after more than 28 working days, during which 54 witnesses testified about the attempts to suppress the student-led ‘July Uprising’ that ultimately brought down Sheikh Hasina’s now-dissolved Awami League government on August 5, 2024.
The Bangladesh capital on Thursday woke up to a heightened security vigil over the “Dhaka lockdown” call by the Awami League, coinciding with a tribunal’s announcement of the verdict date.
Authorities called up army troops, paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and police in riot gear to spread a security blanket in and around the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) complex at central Dhaka.
