Dhaka: A verdict in the crimes against humanity trial of ousted former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected later this month, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Uncertainty over the verdict’s timing emerged after the trial concluded last month, when a hearing was set for November 13. However, Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim, a prosecutor at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, clarified that Thursday’s hearing would only announce the date of the verdict, not the verdict itself.

“Based on our previous experience, the court might take another week or so to deliver the verdict,” Tamim said. “We want to make it clear that the court is set to fix the date of the verdict on November 13.”

Bangladesh has been gripped by political turmoil since a student-led uprising toppled Hasina’s government in August 2024, ending more than a decade of her increasingly autocratic rule. The unrest has continued ahead of elections expected in February 2026, with violence reported across the country.

Hasina, 78, has refused to return from India, defying court orders to attend the proceedings. She faces five charges, including failure to prevent murder, which prosecutors say amount to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law. The prosecution has sought the death penalty if she is found guilty.

Her trial in absentia, which began on June 1, heard months of testimony alleging that she ordered mass killings to suppress the 2024 uprising. According to United Nations estimates, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024.

Hasina has denied all charges, calling the proceedings a “jurisprudential joke.”

Her co-accused include former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who remains at large, and former Police Chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty.

Meanwhile, the outlawed Awami League has called for a nationwide “lockdown” on Thursday, prompting Bangladeshi security agencies to remain on high alert.