Last Updated on November 16, 2025 11:32 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) will on Monday (November 17) deliver its verdict in the crimes against humanity case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her two top aides, with authorities placing the country on maximum alert ahead of the judgment.
Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim said on Sunday that the portion of the judgment read out in court would be aired live on Bangladesh Television and private channels, “subject to final approval”. The Cultural Affairs Ministry has also planned large outdoor screens at major Dhaka intersections for real-time public viewing, with officials saying the broadcast will reach a global audience.
The three accused—Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun—face five charges, including murder, torture, use of lethal weapons, killings of student protesters, and the burning of bodies during the July–August 2024 student uprising. Mamun turned approver during the trial. The formal charge sheet runs to 8,747 pages, with 54 prosecution witnesses testifying.
In the state’s final arguments on 23 October, Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman cited global precedents of trying national leaders and demanded the maximum punishment for Hasina and Kamal. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam called Hasina the “mastermind and principal architect” of the crackdown. The defence argued political motivation, with Hasina earlier calling the tribunal a “kangaroo court”.
Hasina and Kamal were tried in absentia after being declared fugitives. Hasina fled to India on 5 August 2024, the day the student-led movement toppled her government; Kamal is also believed to be in India. The Yunus-led interim government has requested their extradition, but New Delhi has not responded.