Sheikh Hasina

The student-led National Citizen Party faces entrenched rivals with deep networks and resources as polls approach in February

The Awami League has rejected the corruption verdict against Sheikh Hasina and her family, accusing the interim government of weaponising the anti-graft body for political gain.

A Dhaka court sentenced prime minister Sheikh Hasina to five years and her UK MP niece Tulip Siddiq to two for corruption linked to the Purbachal New Town land project.

According to the court, the plot was allotted to Hasina “without any application and in a manner that exceeded the legally authorised jurisdiction.”

Bangladesh’s interim government says it is expecting a formal response from New Delhi after renewing its request to extradite former PM Sheikh Hasina following her conviction by a special tribunal.

This comes three days after Bangladesh's interim government sent an "official letter" to India seeking the extradition of Hasina after a special tribunal sentenced her to death.

The Awami League described the tribunal’s judgment as “farcical,” claiming it had been “rejected with contempt” by the people and denounced the proceedings as a “mockery of a trial.”

On Nov 17, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sentenced 78-year-old Hasina to death along with then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on charges of committing “crimes against humanity” after their trial in absentia. Hasina is currently in India. Kamal is believed to be hiding in India.

Wazed accused Yunus of damaging the country, alleging that he is turning Bangladesh into a failed state and an Islamist terrorist state.

Legal experts now argue that the court had no authority to try Hasina for crimes allegedly committed in 2024. Its jurisdiction, they say, does not extend beyond the 1971 war.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal-1, on Monday, sentenced the ousted prime minister to death for her alleged role in the violence and mass killings during the July-August 2024 uprising.

Wazed said New Delhi’s quick response had allowed Hasina to escape imminent danger as unrest escalated in August 2024.

Speaking about the new US government under President Donald Trump, Sheikh Hasina's son said with this, the situation is completely different and that there is a distinct change in outlook of Washington towards Dhaka.

Behind the facade of the word “international” lies a court that is deeply domestic, politically controlled, and structurally isolated from the global justice system it seeks to imitate.

The August 1975 coup plunged the young nation into years of political turmoil and set off a cycle of military interventions that lasted for decades.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, despite its name, functions entirely as a domestic court. Operating under national laws, it faces criticism for political influence, limited safeguards, selective prosecutions and lacking genuine international legitimacy.

Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, has formally asked India to hand over Hasina, calling it a “legal obligation under the extradition treaty.”

For the Hasina family, this period marks yet another cycle of exile, separation, and uncertainty -- a story that has repeated itself across generations in Bangladesh’s turbulent political history.

The ruling has set off widespread protests, clashes, and a nationwide shutdown, while authorities have issued strict warnings to the media and tightened security in major cities.

Soon after the verdict, Bangladesh’s ministries of home and foreign affairs issued statements urging India to send Hasina and Khan back immediately.