A Bangladeshi court has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to six months in prison for contempt of court, marking the first conviction against the ex-leader since she was ousted from power in 2024. The sentence was delivered in absentia, as the 77-year-old leader fled to neighboring India last year during a student-led uprising and has since refused to return to Bangladesh.
The court ruling stems from comments Hasina allegedly made after her government was toppled, which prosecutors claim were intended to intimidate witnesses in ongoing court proceedings. “The prosecution team believes her comment created an aura of fear among those who filed the cases and among the witnesses,” chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam said after the verdict.
Authorities stated that Hasina will serve her six-month sentence upon returning to Bangladesh or if she surrenders voluntarily. Her departure in August 2024 came amid widespread civil unrest and violent government crackdowns, which, according to the United Nations, resulted in the deaths of up to 1,400 people between July and August that year.
In the same contempt case, Shakil Akanda Bulbul, a key figure in the now-banned Awami League and also a fugitive, was sentenced to two months in prison.
Hasina, once hailed for economic growth and infrastructure development during her tenure, now faces multiple charges related to her alleged role in suppressing dissent. A separate and more serious trial began on June 1, where prosecutors argue that Hasina bore overall command responsibility for the deadly crackdown on protestors, a charge that could potentially lead to more severe sentencing.
Her state-appointed defence lawyer maintains her innocence, arguing that the charges are politically motivated and denies that Hasina’s comments were threatening or unlawful. The former prime minister has dismissed the proceedings from abroad, describing them as a “judicial witch hunt.”
The developments mark a dramatic chapter in Bangladesh’s political history, as the country grapples with the aftermath of mass protests and a fragile transition from authoritarian rule.
