Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Six Months in Prison by Bangladesh's War Crimes Tribunal

Dhaka: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court by the Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), according to a report by the Dhaka Tribune. The verdict, handed down Wednesday by a three-member panel, is the first criminal conviction against Hasina since her government was ousted in a 2024 coup.

The contempt charge stems from a leaked telephone conversation in which Hasina allegedly claimed she had a "license to kill" because 227 legal cases had been filed against her. Prosecutors argued that her remarks constituted a serious affront to the authority of the tribunal.

The ICT, originally established in 2009 to prosecute war crimes committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war, has recently broadened its scope to address more contemporary allegations of human rights violations, including those tied to the Hasina administration’s final months in power.

Hasina was convicted in absentia, as she has not appeared before the tribunal since the proceedings began. In June, the tribunal formally charged her with crimes against humanity for her alleged role in a violent crackdown on mass protests in mid-2024. Those protests, which were met with lethal force from security agencies, ultimately led to her resignation on August 5, 2024.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam accused Hasina of orchestrating a "systemic attack" on protesters. A February report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated that between July 15 and August 5, 2024, as many as 1,400 people were killed, with thousands more injured—most by gunfire from state forces.

Hasina has denied the charges, calling them politically motivated. Her defense lawyer, Amir Hossain, stated that she intends to contest the allegations and seek a dismissal of the charges.

Since the fall of the Awami League government, Bangladesh has been governed by an interim administration led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. In May, the interim government barred the Awami League from participating in the upcoming general elections, citing concerns over national security and the integrity of the democratic process.