The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh will deliver its verdict on November 13 in the crimes against humanity case against the country's former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina . The announcement came on Thursday as the trial proceedings concluded, setting the stage for a pivotal moment in a case concerning the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in 2024 .
The nearly five-month-long trial has been conducted in absentia for the 78-year-old former leader, who has defied court orders to return from India to face the charges . Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman, in his closing speech, argued that her decision to flee "corroborates the allegations" against her . The chief prosecutor has accused Hasina of being "the nucleus" around whom the crimes were committed during the uprising . Her co-accused are former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who is also a fugitive, and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty to the charges .
The prosecution formally indicted Sheikh Hasina on five counts of crimes against humanity, including abetment, incitement, and failure to prevent murder . They have demanded the maximum penalty, which could include the death penalty if she is found guilty . Throughout the trial, the prosecution presented months of testimony, including from protest survivors, and evidence such as audio tapes verified by police that allegedly capture Hasina directly ordering security forces to "use lethal weapons" against protesters . UN investigators have estimated that up to 1,400 civilians were killed during the government's crackdown on the protests .
The verdict will be delivered just three months ahead of general elections expected in February 2026, the first since Hasina's government was overthrown in the July Revolution of 2024 . Her now-banned political party, the Awami League, has consistently denounced the proceedings as a "show trial" and a politically motivated "farce" . The defence lawyer assigned to her by the state maintained that she was "forced to flee" Bangladesh and declared his belief that she would be acquitted "if justice is ensued" . The attorney general, however, has stated that the prosecution proved its case "beyond doubt" and that the trial sought justice for all victims .