The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Wednesday convicted and sentenced ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to six months in jail in a contempt of court case.
The tribunal also sentenced Chhatra League leader Shakil Akand Bulbul to two months' imprisonment.
The three-member ICT-1, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, delivered the judgment.
The tribunal, in its judgment, stated that the sentences will come into effect from the day of their arrest or surrender.
Notably, Hasina fled to India on August 5 and has been there ever since.
ICT Chief Prosecutor Md Tajul Islam said defence counsel Amir Hossain and amicus curiae AY Moshiuzzaman took part in the hearing.
ICT-1 had on June 25 adjourned the hearing of the case till Wednesday.
The tribunal passed the order after allowing a time plea filed by Moshiuzzaman.
Meanwhile, Advocate Aminul Gani Tipu, who had been appointed as the state defence counsel for Hasina and Bulbul, withdrew his name that day, citing a conflict of interest.
Following his withdrawal, the tribunal appointed Amir as the new state defence counsel.
On June 19, the court also appointed senior jurist AY Moshiuzzaman as amicus curiae in the case.
"As both accused remained absent despite the publication of notices in newspapers asking for their appearance, the court appointed an amicus curiae for the sake of transparency of the trial," Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim told reporters that day.
The prosecution filed the complaint against the two over the former prime minister’s telephonic conversation, in which she was allegedly heard saying she had a license to kill 227 people, as 227 cases had been filed against her.
The tribunal, accepting the complaint, asked the two to submit their explanations by May 15.
As they failed to do so, the tribunal summoned them to appear before it on May 25.
When they did not appear on that date either, it ordered the publication of notices in two national dailies, asking Hasina and Bulbul to appear before it on June 3.
The notices were published on May 26 in the daily Jugantor and the daily New Age, summoning the former prime minister and Bulbul to provide explanations regarding the contempt of court application filed against them by the prosecution.