Bangladesh: Trial of Sheikh Hasina and International Crimes Tribunal

This episode discusses the opening of a trial against former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two other officials for crimes against humanity stemming from a violent crackdown on protests in 2024 that resulted in a significant number of deaths. The trial is being held by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), an entity initially established to prosecute war crimes from 1971. Hasina, who is in exile in India, has been accused by prosecutors of orchestrating a "systematic attack" and faces charges including mass murder and facilitating atrocities. Concerns are raised about the legitimacy of the tribunal and the legality of conducting a trial in absentia, particularly as the death penalty is a possible sentence, with international human rights standards on such trials also being questioned.