Verdict in crimes against humanity case against Hasina to be delivered at 11am tomorrow
Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for Hasina and Asaduzzaman
The International Crimes Tribunal will announce its verdict against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and three others in a crimes against humanity case tomorrow (17 November).
The long-awaited judgment will be pronounced at 11am, BBC Bangla reports citing the tribunal's registry office.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has sent a letter to the Army Headquarters today (16 November), requesting troop deployment to strengthen security around the tribunal ahead of the verdict.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The case also names former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun as the accused. Hasina and Asaduzzaman are absconding, while former IGP Mamun has given a deposition as a state witness in the case.
The judgement will be broadcast live on Bangladesh Television and shown on large screens at several locations in Dhaka under cultural ministry initiative, said Prosecutor Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim at a briefing at the tribunal compound today.
The tribunal's Facebook page will also stream the proceedings, he added. A three-member bench of Tribunal-1, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mazumdar, will deliver the ruling.
The prosecution has brought five charges against the three, including incitement, provocation, and command responsibility for the killing of 1,400 people and the maiming of another 25,000 during the July-August uprising.
Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for Hasina and Asaduzzaman. State-appointed lawyers representing the two have pleaded for acquittal, arguing that the accused are innocent. Lawyers for Mamun, who became a state witness, have also sought his acquittal.
