Dhaka: Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday sentenced to six months in prison in connection with a contempt of court case, as reported by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper. The verdict was reportedly ruled by a three-member bench of the International Crimes Tribunal-1.
The three-member bench of the tribunal was led by Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder.In the same ruling, the tribunal also awarded a two-month prison sentence to Shakil Akand Bulbul from Gobindaganj in Gaibandha, reported The Times of India.
Last month, Hasina and two others were reportedly charged with crimes against humanity for her alleged role in the deadly suppression of last year’s student-led uprising, marking a dramatic legal turn for the once long-serving leader. Hundreds of people were killed in the government crackdown on the protest.
Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam announced the charges at a televised hearing on Sunday, June 1, stating that investigators had uncovered evidence suggesting Hasina had “directly ordered” lethal crackdowns by state forces and party-aligned groups during the 2024 protests. The clashes left over 1,500 people dead and at least 25,000 injured, according to official estimates cited by Islam.
The Hasina-led Awami League's regime was toppled by the students' protest in August last year. She fled from her country and reportedly took refuge in India.
Notably, the ICT was formed by the Hasina government in 2009 to prosecute hardened collaborators of Pakistan troops during Bangladesh's independence war.
After Hasina's ouster, Muhammad Yunus took over as Chief Advisor of the transitional government in August 2024.
