A special tribunal in capital Dhaka is expected to announce a verdict today against Sheikh Hasina, who is being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity over a violent crackdown on student-led protests.
The proceedings have started here at the International Crimes Tribunal-1. These proceedings could take hours, as they are going to read out the case before the judges issue their verdict, reports Al Jazeera.
It’s a three-member tribunal overseeing this case, headed by Justice Golam Murtaza, reports Al Jazeera.
Outside, there are people waiting as well as a heavy security presence.
Sheikh Hasina is not facing the court directly.
There’s been trouble for several days, with supporters of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League protesting in a scattered manner. There have been arson attacks and demonstrations in different parts of the country.
But by and large, they could not mobilise the kind of support Hasina wanted – partly because all activities of Hasina’s party have been banned.
The 78-year-old, along with two other officials, 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.