The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is set to announce today the date for delivering its verdict in a case against ousted fascist prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her top aides for ‘committing crimes against humanity’ during last year’s July uprising.

The verdict is expected to be delivered in late November, according to an ICT prosecutor.

Security has been tightened across Dhaka and other key locations ahead of the announcement, with additional police and paramilitary forces deployed following calls by the Awami League – who activities are currently banned – for nationwide protests.

Despite the heightened tension, prosecutors have downplayed security concerns.

“Sheikh Hasina’s trial is being conducted transparently. The Awami League is trying to create unrest over the verdict, but we do not see it as a threat to justice,” said ICT prosecutor Advocate Md Mizanul Islam.

The three-member bench of the ICT-1 – comprising Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, Justice Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood and Justice Md Mohitul Haq Enam Chowdhury – is expected to set the date today, with the verdict anticipated later this month.

“The tribunal might take another week or slightly longer to deliver the verdict,” said Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim, another ICT prosecutor.

First crimes against humanity trial against Hasina

This marks the first time Sheikh Hasina has been tried for crimes against humanity – in the very tribunal her own government established.

The case also involves former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

The trial formally concluded last month, and on 23 October the tribunal fixed 13 November for announcing the verdict date. Hasina and Kamal are being tried in absentia, while Mamun – now in custody – turned approver after admitting guilt and testifying against them.

Hasina, 78, fled to India on 5 August 2024 after her government was toppled amid a student-led mass upsurge. She has since ignored court orders to return and face charges of ordering a deadly crackdown to suppress the uprising.

According to United Nations figures, up to 1,400 people were killed in the final days of the Hasina-led Awami League regime. The bloodshed unfolded over 21 days between 16 July and 5 August 2024, allegedly carried out by state security forces and ruling party cadres.

Killings were reported in at least 438 locations across 41 districts, with victims from 61 districts. Investigators found that security forces fired over 350,000 rounds of ammunition nationwide, including more than 95,000 rounds in Dhaka alone.

Prosecution seeks death penalty

The prosecution filed five charges against Hasina and her co-accused, seeking the death penalty for Hasina and Kamal under the principle of command responsibility for mass killings and other atrocities.

State-appointed defence lawyer Advocate Md Amir Hossain, representing the absconding Hasina and Kamal, claimed all three accused were innocent and sought their acquittal.

The formal charge-sheet runs to 135 pages, backed by 8,747 pages of documentary, video and audio evidence. Some recordings were played during proceedings, including one in which Hasina was allegedly heard ordering her aides to “shoot the students” during the uprising.

Of the 81 witnesses listed, testimonies from 53 were recorded, while Mamun’s statement brought the total to 54. Witnesses included relatives of victims, injured protesters, and prominent figures such as National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam and Daily Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman.

Most witnesses demanded capital punishment for Hasina and her aides. If convicted, Hasina and Kamal could face the death penalty.

Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and ICT Chief Prosecutor Advocate Muhammad Tajul Islam both pressed for the maximum sentence. “Sheikh Hasina should have been hanged 1,400 times for the 1,400 murders,” Tajul Islam said, adding that even an international court such as the ICC would find them guilty.

Asaduzzaman warned that failure to punish the accused would amount to “injustice to the July martyrs and the injured” and would “endanger the lives of countless people”.

Other pending cases

Hasina also faces two additional cases in the tribunal, alongside several current and former army officers, for alleged enforced disappearances during her 15-and-a-half-year rule.

Another case remains pending over the killing of Hefazat-e-Islam activists during a crackdown at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka’s Motijheel area on 5-6 May 2013.

On Wednesday, the ICT-1 granted a two-month extension for investigators to submit the probe report in that case, setting a new deadline of 12 January. The decision followed a prosecution request, said prosecutor Mizanul Islam.

That case accuses nine individuals, including Hasina, former home minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, and Gonojagoron Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarker, of orchestrating killings, torture, and other grave offences during the Motijheel operation.

Four of the accused – former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque, sacked army officer Ziaul Ahsan, and former DIG of police Mollah Nazrul Islam – were produced before the tribunal on Wednesday. The remaining five, including Hasina, remain absconding.

The tribunal’s verdict on the 2024 crimes against humanity case is now seen as a defining moment in Bangladesh’s post-revolution justice process – one that could shape the political landscape ahead of the 13th national election due in early February 2026.

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