DHAKA: Bangladeshi judges are set to deliver their verdict on Monday in the high-profile crimes against humanity trial of fugitive former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a ruling that comes ahead of the country’s first elections since her overthrow in August 2024.
Hasina, 78, remains in India and has repeatedly defied court orders requiring her return to attend the trial. She faces accusations of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising that ended her autocratic rule. The crackdown left Bangladesh in political turmoil, with widespread violence disrupting campaigning for the February 2026 polls. According to the United Nations, the crackdown resulted in up to 1,400 deaths, which form the basis of the charges against Hasina.
Prosecutors and charges
Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam told reporters last week that “justice will be served according to the law,” expressing hope that the verdict would satisfy public demands for accountability and mark an end to crimes against humanity. Hasina faces five charges, including failing to prevent murders, which under Bangladeshi law constitute crimes against humanity.
The trial has proceeded largely in absentia, with months of testimony alleging that Hasina ordered mass killings during her final days in power. Hasina, however, has called the proceedings a “jurisprudential joke” and refused to acknowledge the court’s authority. She also rejected all charges, relying on a state-appointed lawyer assigned to her. In a written interview with AFP in October, she claimed a guilty verdict was “preordained” and said she would “not be surprised when it comes.”
Co-accused and legal proceedings
Hasina’s co-accused include former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also a fugitive, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty. Their involvement reflects the broader scope of the case, which has sought to hold senior officials accountable for the violent suppression of protests.
Security measures and political tension
Authorities have placed Dhaka on high alert ahead of the verdict. Security forces have surrounded the court, with armoured vehicles stationed at checkpoints. Dhaka Municipal Police spokesman Talebur Rahman confirmed that nearly half of the city’s 34,000-strong police force would be on duty at key intersections. Interim interior ministry chief Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said the government was prepared and there was “no cause for concern.”
The country has seen escalating unrest in recent weeks, including crude bomb attacks across Dhaka. Petrol bombs have targeted everything from government buildings linked to interim leader Muhammad Yunus’s administration to public buses and Christian sites. The foreign ministry also summoned India’s envoy, demanding that New Delhi prevent Hasina from communicating with journalists or gaining platforms to address the media.
Hasina’s defiance and political impact
Despite the charges and heightened security, Hasina remains defiant. In October, she expressed that she “mourned all the lives lost during the terrible days” of the crackdown, remarks that angered critics who accused her of ruthlessly clinging to power. She has also warned that the interim government’s ban on her party, the Awami League, is worsening the political crisis in Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, just months before the elections.
Monday’s verdict is expected to be a pivotal moment for Bangladesh, potentially shaping the political landscape and the lead-up to the upcoming elections, while testing the capacity of the interim government to maintain order amid ongoing unrest.
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