Bangladesh court to rule on ex-PM Hasina in torture, disappearance cases on November 13

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has concluded the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, accused of crimes against humanity, and will announce its verdict on November 13.

Hasina faces allegations of torturing multiple individuals and orchestrating disappearances during her tenure under the Awami League government. She fled the country following a student-led uprising in August 2024, which ended her administration and brought Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead an interim government.

Hasina’s state-appointed lawyer, Md Amir Hossain, told Dhaka Tribune that the former prime minister did not flee to avoid the trial. “She did not want to leave this country… If necessary, give me the soil here, kill me, still I will not go,” Hossain said, explaining that the situation ultimately forced her departure by helicopter.

Hossain also challenged the basis of the allegations, saying: “For an act to be considered a crime against humanity, there must be an intent or effort to annihilate a community, nation, or group… But here, that does not apply. The tribunal has the responsibility to ensure justice.”

Earlier this month, on October 8, the ICT issued arrest warrants for 30 individuals, including Hasina, in two separate cases related to enforced disappearances during her government. The three-member tribunal bench, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, ordered the accused to be produced in court by October 22.

Other notable figures named in the warrants include former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, retired Major General Tariq Ahmed Siddique, who served as Hasina’s defence adviser, and former police chief Benzir Ahmed. Twenty-seven of the remaining accused are retired or serving military officers.

Thursday marked the final day of defence arguments in cases concerning crimes committed during the anti-discrimination student movement in July–August 2024. One case involves 17 defendants, including Hasina and Siddique, accused of abducting opposition activists and detaining them in a secret Rapid Action Battalion cell where torture allegedly occurred.

The second case charges Hasina, Siddique, and 11 others with detaining and torturing victims at the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence’s Joint Interrogation Cell. Five former DGFI directors general are among the accused, and five charges of crimes against humanity are included.

On October 22, the ICT ordered 15 serving army officers accused of orchestrating disappearances during Hasina’s tenure to be sent to jail.