Guwahati: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to six months in prison for contempt of court, according to media reports.
Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder led the three-member panel of Tribunal-1 that issued the verdict after reviewing a leaked phone call involving the ousted Awami League leader.
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The phone conversation, which surfaced on social media last year, reportedly featured Hasina making a controversial statement to former Gobindaganj upazila chairman and ex-Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader Shakil Akand Bulbul.
In the clip, Hasina allegedly said, “I have had 227 cases filed against me, so I have received a licence to kill 227 people.”
A forensic report by a government investigative agency later confirmed the audio’s authenticity.
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The tribunal ruled that her remarks directly challenged the authority of the court and constituted contempt.
Alongside Hasina, the tribunal also sentenced Bulbul to two months in prison. The state-run BSS news agency confirmed that the sentences would take effect from the date of their arrest or voluntary surrender.
This ruling marks the first conviction against the 72-year-old former leader since she fled office in August 2024.
Hasina currently faces multiple legal cases in Bangladesh following her ouster on August 5, 2024, which came in the wake of a massive student-led uprising.
The protests, which rocked Dhaka and other cities, ultimately forced her to flee the capital.
After her departure, 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus assumed leadership of an interim government. Authorities launched a broad crackdown on members of Hasina’s former administration, leading to the arrest or flight of numerous Awami League leaders, ministers, and officials.
The state has accused them of ordering violent crackdowns during the unrest, which left hundreds dead, including students.
The International Crimes Tribunal, established in 2010 to prosecute collaborators of Pakistani forces during the 1971 Liberation War, is now also handling cases against Hasina and several of her associates on charges that include crimes against humanity.