Bangladesh live: Court verdict against toppled ex-PM Sheikh Hasina expected

A special tribunal in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, is expected to announce a verdict today against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity over a violent crackdown on student-led protests.
The 78-year-old is accused of being the “mastermind and principal architect” behind last year’s suppression of mass demonstrations prompted by a controversial quota system in government jobs, in which some 1,400 people were killed.
Who is Sheikh Hasina?
The daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father, former President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina first came to power in 1996, six years after she led a pro-democracy uprising that toppled the military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
After becoming the prime minister again in 2009, Hasina ruled for 15 years until August 2024, when she was toppled in a student-led uprising.
She has been in exile in India since then and has not been seen in public or online.
Rights groups say her second premiership was autocratic, pointing to abuses such as arrests, disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
What we know so far
Hasina, 78, is being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity over her government’s violent crackdown on student-led protests in mid-2024, in which as many as 1,400 people were killed.
A special tribunal in the capital Dhaka is expected to announce a verdict against Hasina, authorities said last week.
Hasina, who is in exile in India, denies any wrongdoing and claims the trial is politically motivated.
Hasina’s now-banned Awami League party has called a nationwide shutdown as authorities fear more violence since a series of attacks last week, before the verdict.
Police have detained dozens of Awami League members and supporters in recent days over allegations of involvement in explosions and sabotage.
Welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the trial of toppled Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, who has been charged with crimes against humanity over last year’s protests that left hundreds dead.

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