Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to six months in prison for contempt of court, marking her first conviction since being ousted.
At the height of the student-led rebellion in August 2024, Hasina, 77, fled to neighboring India and has refused to return to Dhaka.
Following the court’s ruling, chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam informed reporters, “She will serve the sentence the day she arrives in Bangladesh or surrenders to the court.”
Prosecutors claimed that she threatened witnesses in ongoing court proceedings with remarks she made after being removed from office.
Islam stated, “The prosecution believes her comment created an aura of fear among those who filed the cases and among the witnesses.”
In the same case, Shakil Akanda Bulbul, a wanted leader of her now-banned Awami League, received a two-month prison sentence.
According to the United Nations, Hasina’s government ordered a crackdown on protesters in July and August of last year in an unsuccessful attempt to hold onto power, killing up to 1,400 people.
Prosecutors claim that Hasina had overall command responsibility for the violence in a different ongoing trial that started on June 1.
According to her state-appointed defense attorney, she has refuted the numerous accusations, which under Bangladeshi law constitute crimes against humanity.
