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Hasina’s trial enters final stage

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Banglapress Published: 23 September 2025, 10:26 AM
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Hasina’s trial enters final stage
  Bangla Press Desk:  The trial of ousted fascist prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her former top aides for crimes against humanity during last year’s July uprising is now moving into its final stage, with prosecutors preparing to open closing arguments after just two more testimonies are heard. On Monday, Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Daily Amar Desh, appeared before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) as the 46th prosecution witness. Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and a former adviser to the information ministry, is scheduled to testify today. “The testimony phase of the case may end after taking testimony from one more witness after Nahid Islam. Then the argument phase will begin. Since two accused are on the run, and the other accused has already pleaded guilty and testified as an approver, the argument phase doesn’t seem to take much time,” said ICT Chief Prosecutor Advocate Muhammad Tajul Islam, speaking to reporters on the tribunal premises after Monday’s proceedings. He confirmed that prosecutors would file an application to proceed to closing arguments.
“We think there is no need to take further testimonies,” Tajul Islam said, expressing confidence that the prosecution had already presented enough evidence. Background to the case Hasina is facing charges alongside former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, accused of overseeing atrocities during the mass uprising that toppled her government in July 2024. While Kamal and Hasina are being tried in absentia, Mamun has turned approver after admitting guilt and pledging to reveal details of the killings.
The tribunal, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, took cognisance of the formal charges against the three on 1 June and formally framed them on 10 July, opening trial proceedings. The prosecution has levelled five counts of crimes against humanity and mass killings. The charges cover not only the events of July 2024 but also acts dating back to 2009, which prosecutors argue marked the beginning of systematic repression under Hasina’s rule, continuing through to the July uprising. Testimony of Mahmudur Rahman
Testifying on Monday, Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman outlined what he described as the gradual transformation of Hasina’s regime into a fascist dictatorship.  He cited the 2009 BDR mutiny at Peelkhana, the abolition of the caretaker government system, and the 2013 Shapla Chattar killings as key moments in her consolidation of power. “Hasina was anti-military by family background. Both she and her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman held deep-rooted resentment towards the military,” he told the tribunal. He alleged that Hasina had deliberately sought to weaken the Army following the BDR massacre, which left dozens of Army officers dead. “After Sheikh Hasina came to power, she realised that it was necessary to weaken the patriotic Army in order to establish a fascist regime. Therefore, as planned, the BDR massacre was carried out. The Sheikh family was directly involved in this plan,” he said. As part of that move, she evicted former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia from her residence and initiated steps to abolish the caretaker government system, added Mahmudur Rahman.
He accused Hasina of rewarding judges for abolishing the caretaker government system, naming Justices ABM Khairul Haque, Md Muzammel Hossain, SK Sinha and Syed Mahmud Hossain, three of whom later became chief justices “as a reward for scrapping the system”. Mahmudur Rahman also drew parallels between Hasina’s regime and fascist movements abroad. “In Hitler’s Germany, first communists and later Jews were called public enemies for creating a backdrop for ethnic cleansing. Similarly, in Bangladesh, the Awami League government organised demonstrations in Shahbagh in 2013 for eliminating a particular political class,” he said. Calling Hasina “the worst fascist ruler in the history of Bangladesh”, he said he was grateful to Allah for her downfall in 2024. Other witnesses and testimonies Before Mahmudur Rahman, 45 witnesses, including families of those killed in the uprising, injured protesters, doctors, journalists and eyewitnesses, gave testimony. Many demanded the death penalty for Hasina and her associates, accusing them of ordering the killing of thousands. Ex-IGP Mamun, testifying on 1 September before turning approver, admitted to carrying out killings and other brutal acts on Hasina’s instructions, assisted by then home minister Kamal. Mahmudur Rahman and Nahid Islam had originally been scheduled to testify on 10 September, offering historical context to the case, but both requested a postponement due to personal reasons – a request accepted by the tribunal. Wider legal battles The ICT is also pursuing two other cases against Hasina. One relates to disappearances and killings during her 15-and-a-half years in power, while the other focuses on the 2013 police crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam activists at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel, Dhaka. For now, prosecutors are determined to press ahead with what they call the most significant trial of Bangladesh’s post-uprising era. With testimonies nearly complete, the tribunal’s focus is expected to shift rapidly towards closing arguments, paving the way for a verdict in one of the country’s most consequential trials. This article was originally published on Daily Sun. [Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.] BP/SP
[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]

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