Overview
- Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam asked the International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday to impose the maximum sentence on Sheikh Hasina, citing a U.N. estimate of up to 1,400 deaths.
- He also sought the death penalty for former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, while leaving sentencing for ex–police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun to the tribunal after his guilty plea and cooperation.
- Hasina is being tried in absentia after fleeing to India on Aug. 5, 2024, and the interim government’s extradition request to New Delhi remains unresolved.
- The case rests on five charges of crimes against humanity and mass killings supported by testimony from 54 prosecution witnesses who were cross-examined by the defense.
- Further hearings are scheduled next week as a state-appointed lawyer prepares defense arguments, while Hasina’s supporters reject the process as politically motivated and dispute the death toll.