GG News Bureau
Dhaka, 2nd July: Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to six months in jail on Wednesday for contempt of court, marking her first conviction since her removal from office in August 2024. The verdict was delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal, which found her guilty of undermining the judiciary in a leaked phone call.
A three-judge bench led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder cited Hasina’s controversial statement in the audio clip, where she allegedly said, “I have had 227 cases filed against me, so I have received a license to kill 227 people.” The tribunal viewed the remark as a direct attack on the court’s dignity and a deliberate attempt to discredit the judicial process.
The phone conversation, reportedly with a former student leader, had gone viral on social media last year, prompting widespread debate and legal scrutiny. The tribunal ruled that Hasina’s comments constituted serious contempt and handed her a six-month jail term, to begin upon her arrest or voluntary surrender.
The same court also sentenced Shakil Akand Bulbul — a former chairman of Gobindaganj upazila and a leader of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League — to two months in jail in the same case, according to the state-run BSS news agency.
Hasina, 72, was removed from office on August 5, 2024, following months of mass student-led protests that turned violent. The uprising led to the deaths of hundreds, including several students, and triggered an international outcry. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84, was appointed to head a transitional caretaker government in the aftermath.
Since then, Hasina and several senior leaders of her Awami League party have faced multiple legal challenges. Some party leaders were arrested, while others fled the country amid an ongoing crackdown.
The International Crimes Tribunal, originally formed in 2010 to try war crimes suspects from the 1971 Liberation War, has expanded its scope to include high-profile political and judicial cases. Hasina and several former officials are currently under trial for their alleged roles in the violent suppression of the 2024 protests.
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