Bangladesh Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina Sentenced for Contempt in Absentia

Rabat – Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court, marking the first time the former leader has been sentenced since fleeing the country last year.

The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday found Hasina in contempt of court, following a leaked phone call in which Hasina was heard mocking the trial.“There are 227 cases against me, so I now have a licence to kill 227 people,” she stated. 

A forensic report by the government’s investigative agency confirmed the audio’s authenticity. The Tribunal debated the evidence, and a three-member committee led by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumber delivered the verdict in Hasina’s absence.  

Other members of the banned Awami League party have had arrest warrants issued for similar crimes. Shakil Akand Bulbul, leader of the Awami student Chhatra League, has also been charged. During the rule of Sheikh Hasina, the Chhatra League and the Rapid Action Battalion (often described as the death squad) were known for abducting and murdering opponents at will.

Hasina’s time in office was been marked by accusations of widespread corruption and human rights abuses. After a rigged election result last year, widespread protests erupted across the capital city Dhaka and other cities. The government opened fire, and Human Rights Watch estimates that around 1,400 people were killed. Hasina fled to India after the army refused to follow her orders to continue suppressing student protesters, leaving the country shattered.

Muhammad Yunus was then announced as the country’s interim leader, and he set up a committee to investigate human rights violations and corruption during Hasina’s tenure. 

In its ruling on Wednesday, the court also issued three arrest warrants for Hasina, including charges of crimes against humanity.

However, supporters of Hasina have criticized these moves as politically motivated and attempts to silence the opposition. In response, the interim government has maintained that it has taken all possible measures to preserve the independence of the judicial system, restore public trust in the country’s institutions, and ensure accountability.

Hasina continues to live comfortably in exile in New Delhi. A breakdown of relations between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yunus puts the question of extradition in question, and it remains to be seen whether she will ever face justice for the numerous charges against her.