The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has established that deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun committed crimes against humanity during the July Uprising.
A three-member judicial panel of ICT-1, chaired by Justice Golam Mortuza Mazumder, commenced delivering the judgment in the highly anticipated case at approximately 12:40pm today.
The case concerns crimes against humanity perpetrated by Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India during the mass uprising of July-August 2024.
The tribunal found Sheikh Hasina guilty on one count of crimes against humanity. Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were convicted on two counts each, relating to their complicity through the deployment of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons, alongside their failure to restrain the perpetrators.
The verdict announcement is being broadcast live by BTV and news agency Reuters. Additionally, it is being streamed live from the tribunal’s Facebook page. It is also being shown on large screens at ten points across Dhaka.
There is widespread curiosity, from the public to the international community, regarding the potential sentences for Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal as the alleged instigators.
The fate of former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who turned from an accused to a state witness, will also become clear today.
While no woman has ever been executed in Bangladesh’s history despite death sentences being passed, International Crimes Tribunal Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim has clearly stated that Sheikh Hasina cannot expect any leniency on that basis.
On Sunday, he said, “Sheikh Hasina has no opportunity to receive clemency from the death penalty on the grounds of being a woman.”
The ICT prosecution has stated that if Sheikh Hasina is convicted, the tribunal’s arrest warrant will be sent to Interpol.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have implemented strict security measures in the capital and various other locations across the country in anticipation of the verdict in Hasina’s case.
