Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, found guilty in this case

Dhaka. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina to six months’ imprisonment in a contempt of court case.
According to media reports, Justice Golam Murtuza Majumdar, who headed the three-member tribunal, gave this verdict. In this case, Shakeel Akanda Bulbul, leader of Awami League’s student wing ‘Chhatra League’, has also been sentenced to two months. This punishment was given on the basis of an audio clip that went viral on social media, in which Sheikh Hasina was allegedly heard interfering in the judicial process and threatening the tribunal. On this basis, the tribunal had issued a show-cause notice to Hasina and Bulbul last month. Sheikh Hasina left the country in August 2024.
The Awami League condemned the entire case, calling it a show trial and said that it has been initiated as a political vendetta by the ruling interim government. Citing concerns raised by the United Nations regarding fair trial and transparency of the process in ICT, the party said that the current administration has targeted only Awami League leaders, while the atrocities committed against common citizens, journalists, religious minorities and women have been ignored. The Awami League also alleged that many government officials have already blamed Sheikh Hasina in public forums, which has destroyed the possibility of a fair trial.
It is noteworthy that this is the same tribunal that was set up by Sheikh Hasina’s government to investigate and punish war crimes committed by the Pakistani army and its allies during the 1971 Liberation War. Political analysts believe that this punishment is a part of the political vendetta of the current caretaker government led by Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus, which filed several cases against Sheikh Hasina and her supporters soon after her ouster from power. Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and has been a prominent voice for the restoration of democracy in the country.