DHAKA: Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for contempt of court, marking the first conviction since she was ousted during a student-led uprising in August 2024.
The 77-year-old former leader, who fled to neighboring India amid escalating protests last year, has defied repeated court orders to return and face charges.
“She will serve the sentence the day she arrives in Bangladesh or surrenders to the court,” Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told reporters following the verdict.
The contempt case centered on statements Hasina allegedly made after her removal from office—remarks prosecutors claim were intended to intimidate witnesses involved in ongoing legal proceedings.
“The prosecution team believes her comment created an aura of fear among those who filed the cases and among the witnesses,” Islam added.
In the same case, Shakil Akanda Bulbul, a fugitive leader of Hasina’s now-banned Awami League, was handed a two-month prison sentence.
According to United Nations estimates, as many as 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina’s administration attempted a violent crackdown on anti-government protests, in a failed effort to remain in power.
In a separate and ongoing trial that began on June 1, prosecutors have alleged that Hasina bore command responsibility for the crackdown and resulting deaths. The charges, under Bangladeshi law, are considered equivalent to crimes against humanity.
Hasina, through her state-appointed defense counsel, has denied all allegations.
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