An urgent appeal has been lodged with the United Nations by London-based lawyers representing former prime minister Sheikh Hasina over her trial at the International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh) (ICT), where she and three others stand accused of crimes against humanity.
The tribunal is expected to deliver its verdict on November 13 for proceedings conducted in her absence.
London-based lawyers Steven Pauls and Tatyana Eatwell of Doughty Street Chambers filed the appeal on November 10 with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers and the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions.
They argue that the ongoing in-absentia trial undermines Hasina’s right to a fair hearing, asserting the tribunals are “dominated by political retribution” and operating under an unmandated interim government.
The appeal outlines how Hasina, who served as prime minister continuously since 2009 and whose party won the January 2024 elections, fled the country on August 5, 2024 following a nationwide uprising triggered by student protests.
An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed power shortly thereafter.
The ICT then charged Hasina and two senior aides with crimes against humanity for her government’s response to the protests.
Key complaints in the appeal include the tribunal’s in-absentia proceedings despite outstanding extradition requests, the appointment of a state-paired attorney rather than an independent defence counsel, and allegations that the chief prosecutor had previously participated in political rallies.
The lawyers warn that a death sentence issued under such conditions “would effectively amount to extrajudicial killing” in breach of international human rights law.
The ICT, formed under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973, was originally established to try war crimes from Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.
It now stands at a historic juncture, this is the first time a former head of government is being tried for crimes against humanity.
The state prosecution has linked up to 1,400 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries to the July–August 2024 crackdown, alleging Hasina orchestrated a systematic suppression of dissent.
The hearing, which has included live-broadcast testimony from survivors, is being watched closely both domestically and internationally.
Hasina’s supporters reject the proceedings as politically motivated and illegitimate.
The interim government, meanwhile, argues that accountability for mass violence is essential to rebuilding Bangladesh’s democratic and transitional justice institutions.
With the verdict looming and the UN petition now filed, the case stands as a landmark moment; refracting issues of due process, institutional independence and political transition through a trial that is reshaping Bangladesh’s legal and political landscape.
