Contempt case: Court sentences former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to six months in prison

The order was given by the three-member tribunal of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT).

The tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, passed the order after reviewing a leaked phone conversation involving Hasina that circulated on social media last year before being picked up by several mainstream media outlets.

As per The Daily Star report, in the audio clip, Hasina is allegedly heard telling former Gobindaganj upazila chairman Shakil Akanda Bulbul, "I have had 227 cases filed against me, so I have received a licence to kill 227 people."

Bulbul has been sentenced to two months in prison for his role in the conversation.

Tribunal sources told The Daily Star that the sentence will take effect only once the convicts surrender before the court or are arrested by law-enforcers.

This is the first time Hasina has been sentenced since she was ousted from power on August 5, 2024.

She fled to India amid severe protests against her government.

Hasina was the longest-serving Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

July-August Uprising

According to the UN website, the repression of mass protests in Bangladesh last year that toppled longtime prime minister Sheikh Hasina left as many as 1,400 people dead in just 46 days – the vast majority shot by security forces.

In addition to those killed by the former government’s security and intelligence services alongside Awami League party associates, a report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) into the alleged crimes indicated that thousands were injured, including one youngster who was shot in the hand at point-blank range for throwing stones.

According to the OHCHR report, as many as 12 to 13 per cent of those killed were children. Bangladesh Police also reported that 44 of its officers were killed between 1 July and 15 August 2024.