(MENAFN) Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to six months in prison by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka for contempt of court, according to the Dhaka Tribune. The ruling was issued on Wednesday by a three-judge panel, following allegations that Hasina made a remark during a phone call claiming she had a “license to kill” due to the 227 legal cases filed against her.

The ICT, established in 2009 to prosecute crimes from the 1971 war of independence, tried Hasina in absentia after she fled to India following her ouster in a 2024 coup. Bangladesh has requested her extradition, but India has not yet responded officially.

This marks Hasina’s first prison sentence since leaving office. In June, the tribunal also charged her with crimes against humanity over a violent crackdown on protests that contributed to the collapse of her government. ICT Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam accused her of leading a coordinated assault on demonstrators. A UN report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured during the unrest in mid-2024, mostly by state forces.

Hasina, who stepped down on August 5, 2024, denies all charges. Her lawyer, Amir Hossain, said she will contest the allegations. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s interim administration, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has barred Hasina’s Awami League party from participating in upcoming elections, citing national security concerns.

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