DHAKA: Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death over two charges committed during the July mass uprising. International Crimes Tribunal-1 delivered the verdict on Monday.
This is the first case related to killings and other crimes against humanity during the July uprising. The tribunal stated in the verdict that the crimes had been proven against Sheikh Hasina and the two other accused. Of the remaining two accused, the then Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan was also convicted to death, and the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years of imprisonment.
Sheikh Hasina and the then Home Minister Asaduzzaman remain absconding and are currently in India. Former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is the only accused in custody and testified before the tribunal after admitting his role.
The three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, delivered the verdict in a packed courtroom. The other members of the tribunal are Justice Md Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Judge Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury. The proceedings began at around 12:30 pm. The 453-page verdict is divided into six sections. The tribunal presented details of evidence and information of Sheikh Hasina’s crimes against humanity, obtained from various videos recorded during the July uprising. During the proceedings, descriptions were given of the audio, video, and other evidence submitted to the tribunal, as well as statements from victims and witnesses. Video evidence was presented showing how protesters were killed with lethal gunfire at various locations, including Dhaka’s Jatrabari, Rampura, Badda, Savar, Ashulia, and Rangpur.
A total of five charges were brought against the accused: Delivering inciting speeches; Ordering the use of lethal weapons to suppress and eliminate protesters; Shooting and killing Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur; Shooting and killing six protesters in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area; and Burning six people to death in Ashulia.
