Bangladesh’s court will announce the verdict date for ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s crimes against humanity trial, with prosecutors seeking death penalty.
DHAKA: A verdict in ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s crimes against humanity trial is expected later this month, prosecutors confirmed on Tuesday.
Confusion over the timing emerged after the trial concluded last month with a hearing scheduled for November 13.
Thursday’s hearing will only “to announce the date of the verdict” according to prosecutor Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal.
“Based on our previous experience, the court might take another week or so to deliver the verdict,” Tamim stated.
Bangladesh has experienced political turmoil since a deadly uprising toppled Hasina’s government in August 2024.
Violence has marked the campaign trail for elections expected in February 2026.
Hasina, 78, has defied court orders to return from India to face trial for ordering a deadly crackdown during the student-led uprising.
Her trial in absentia began on June 1 and heard months of testimony alleging she ordered mass killings.
The United Nations estimates up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024.
Prosecutors filed five charges including failure to prevent murder, amounting to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.
They have sought the death penalty if she is found guilty.
Hasina has denied all charges and called her trial a “jurisprudential joke”.
Her co-accused include former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who remains a fugitive.
Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is in custody and has pleaded guilty.
Hasina’s outlawed Awami League called for a nationwide “lockdown” on Thursday.
Security agencies across Bangladesh have been placed on high alert. – AFP
