Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) will announce its verdict on Monday in the most consequential case arising from the July 2024 uprising. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina stands accused of crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering a brutal crackdown on student-led protests.
The judgment will be broadcast live, with nationwide security on high alert amid a tense political climate. Prosecutors have sought the death penalty, calling the case a historic turning point for accountability in Bangladesh.
Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on 5 August 2024, the interim government decided to reorganise ICT-1 to formally begin trials related to atrocities committed during the July uprising.
The tribunal was reconstituted on 14 October 2024, with Additional Justice Mohammad Golam Mortuza Mojumdar appointed as chairman, Justice Md Shafiul Alam Mahmood as member and retired district judge Mohitul Haque Inam Chowdhury as member.
The objective of the restructuring was to initiate judicial proceedings into allegations of mass killings, enforced disappearances and other crimes against humanity committed during the uprising. As the number of cases continued to rise, the government established International Crimes Tribunal-2 on 8 May 2025 to handle the expanding caseload.
The two tribunals are now overseeing 39 cases based on 339 verified complaints. ICT-1 is responsible for high-profile political and administrative leaders, including Hasina and her former cabinet members, while ICT-2 handles cases involving mid-level police officers, ruling party officials and security personnel.
A total of 141 individuals face charges, with 54 in custody. These include former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, ex-law minister Anisul Huq, former National Security Intelligence chief Monirul Islam, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Habibur Rahman, ex-Health Minister Dipu Moni, at least 15 senior officers of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and several other security officials.
The remaining 87 accused, including Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former Road Transport and Bridges minister Obaidul Quader and dozens of Awami League leaders and military officers, remain fugitives.
The charges against Hasina centre on the period from 15 July to 15 August 2024. Prosecutors allege she orchestrated a coordinated state assault on unarmed demonstrators, resulting in more than 1,400 deaths, including children and teenagers, alongside widespread torture, disappearances and other inhumane acts.
The 8,750-page charge sheet lists five principal counts, including incitement, conspiracy, aiding and abetting murder, torture and failure to prevent killings. Hasina is portrayed as the central figure in the command structure, alongside the former home minister and former police chief.
The latter, however, later became a state witness and provided detailed testimony.
A total of 54 witnesses testified, comprising victims’ families, medical professionals, judges and security officials. Evidence includes video and drone footage, intercepted phone calls – one purportedly capturing Hasina ordering security forces to open fire – hospital records, forensic reports and police logs.
The legal process began on 17 October 2024, when a complaint was filed at Dhanmondi Police Station alleging 51 murders and over 1,600 enforced disappearances during the uprising. Investigators conducted a seven-month inquiry, collecting witness statements, forensic materials and video evidence.
The investigation report was submitted on 12 May 2025, followed by formal charges on 1 June, when arrest warrants were also issued. Hasina was ordered to surrender by 24 June. The tribunal appointed a panel of independent legal experts on 19 June to assist the court.
Charges were formally framed on 10 July, days after Hasina was convicted of contempt of court on 2 July. The trial in absentia commenced on 3 August, with prosecution testimony continuing for 40 days until mid-September. Defense witnesses were heard from late September through early October.
Closing arguments concluded on 23 October, with prosecutors firmly seeking capital punishment and the defense dismissing the allegations as politically motivated. The tribunal set the verdict date on 13 November.
The evidence is organised into five major allegations, including a nationwide coordinated assault supported by videos, medical records, police communications and Al-Mamun’s confession. Additional charges involve helicopter and drone attacks allegedly carried out under a “find and shoot” directive, documented through flight logs and National Security Council minutes.
Specific incidents cited include the 16 July killing of student Abu Sayeed in Rangpur, verified through video and forensic confirmation, the 5 August deaths of six protesters in Chankharpul in Dhaka evidenced by shell casings and hospital files, and the same-day killing of six students in Ashulia, whose bodies were allegedly burned, substantiated by drone footage, DNA analysis and a constable’s testimony.
Hasina also faces several other ICT cases. One involves enforced disappearances at a Rapid Action Battalion interrogation facility between 2016 and 2024, including the disappearance of lawyer Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, with 15 officers currently detained.
Another concerns the Joint Interrogation Cell’s activities from 2009 to 2024, which has led to 15 arrests. A third case addresses the May 2013 Shapla Square crackdown, where trial preparations are ongoing.
These proceedings form part of a broader accountability initiative launched after the collapse of Hasina’s administration on 5 August 2024.
The interim government revived the ICT on 14 October to prosecute systematic abuse and human rights violations. More than 583 regular criminal cases have also been filed against Hasina in various jurisdictions.
Simultaneously, dozens of former security officials have been arrested and several fugitives apprehended abroad as the state intensifies efforts to address past atrocities.
