A student uprising shook Bangladesh, toppling its most powerful leader. After 15 years in office, Sheikh Hasina’s grip on power broke under the pressure of a movement that began with a dispute over government jobs, and ended with her fleeing the country. To mark the anniversary, here’s the first episode of 36 July: Uprising in Bangladesh, the new season of Al Jazeera Investigates.
Thousands rallied in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to mark one year since nationwide protests forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. The 2024 uprising began over quota reforms but turned deadly, with over 1,400 people killed. The country’s interim leader announced new elections will be held in February.
Published On 5 Aug 20255 Aug 2025
Bangladesh’s interim government says the conviction shows commitment to justice.
Bangladesh’s self-exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, handed down the verdict in Hasina’s absence on Wednesday. The sentence will take effect upon her arrest or voluntary surrender, Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam told reporters.
Hasina, who fled to India following a student-led uprising last August, faces several charges. This marks the first time she has received a formal sentence in any of the cases.
Shakil Akand Bulbul, a senior figure in the Awami League’s banned student wing, Chhatra League, was also sentenced to two months in the same case.
The contempt charges stem from an audio recording in which Hasina was allegedly heard saying, “There are 227 cases against me, so I now have a licence to kill 227 people.” A government forensic report later confirmed the tape’s authenticity.
The ICT was established in 2010 by Hasina’s own government to prosecute war crimes committed during the country’s 1971 independence war.
It has since been repurposed by the interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, to pursue allegations of rights violations and corruption under Hasina’s rule.
The tribunal has issued three arrest warrants for Hasina, including charges of crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on the student-led protests last year, which toppled her government. Her Awami League party remains banned, with ongoing trials against former officials.
Hasina’s supporters insist the cases are politically motivated, describing them as part of a broader effort to silence opposition. However, the caretaker government argues the legal process is necessary to restore public trust in the country’s institutions and ensure accountability.
Former prime minister is charged with crimes against humanity but fled to India in 2024.
Fugitive and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina has officially been charged with crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors in Dhaka accuse the 77-year-old of orchestrating a “systematic attack” on demonstrators during protests last year that ended her 15-year rule.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has promised to ensure that Hasina and other key figures face justice.
But his caretaker government is facing discord over when it will hold elections.
So will Sheikh Hasina face punishment, and will Bangladeshis forgive Muhammad Yunus if she does not?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Rumeen Farhana – Assistant secretary for international affairs of the Central Executive Committee, and former Bangladesh Nationalist Party MP
Sreeradha Datta – Professor at OP Jindal Global University
Abbas Faiz – Independent South Asia researcher with a focus on Bangladesh