Overview

• A three-member ICT-1 bench headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder handed Hasina a six-month prison term for contempt in absentia.
• Prosecutors relied on a leaked October phone recording in which Hasina allegedly said she had “a licence to kill 227 people,” a remark judged to undermine judicial proceedings.
• A government forensic report confirmed the tape’s authenticity and the tribunal ruled the sentence will take effect upon her arrest or voluntary surrender.
• Shakil Akand Bulbul, a former Bangladesh Chhatra League leader, received a two-month prison term in the same contempt proceeding.
• Hasina faces a separate in absentia trial on five counts of crimes against humanity linked to the nationwide student uprising that ousted her last year.