A tribunal in Bangladesh is due to hand down its verdict against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
The deposed ruler is accused of ordering a violent crackdown on student-led protests last year, during which the UN estimates up to 1,400 people died
She is living in exile in India after being forced from office
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty after a trial was held in her absence - Hasina denies all charges against her
Security has been ramped up over fears the verdict could trigger protests
Watch: Increased security outside Bangladesh court ahead of Sheikh Hasina verdict
We've just heard that the judgement is 453 pages long. It is unclear if all of it will be read out in court.
The proceedings are under way now. The chief prosecutor told the BBC team on the ground that it will take at least one hour to deliver the verdict.
We're listening across and will bring you the latest.
The hearing has just started after initial delays - we were earlier told it would commence 45 minutes ago.
As a recap, the court in Dhaka is due to hand down its verdict against Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is accused of ordering a violent crackdown on student-led protests last year.
Charlotte Scarr
Reporting from Dhaka
Hundreds of protesters are marching from Dhaka college towards Dhanmondi 32, the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Sheikh Hasina.
They are transporting two bulldozers on the back of trucks and shouting the slogan "destroy the dens of fascism".
Police have intervened to stop their progress. We'll bring you images from on the ground shortly.
The residence, which is currently abandoned, has been targeted and set on fire several times since Hasina's fall in August last year.
Charlotte Scarr
Reporting from Dhaka
We've been told that the court will take about two hours to deliver the verdict and sentence.
The room here is packed with dozens of advocates and family members eagerly awaiting the verdict.
Rows of armed guards and riot police are stationed outside the court in Dhaka where the International Crimes Tribunal will deliver its verdict against Hasina.
Here's a closer look at how Bangladesh has ramped up security ahead of today's hearing.
Watch: Increased security outside Bangladesh court ahead of Sheikh Hasina verdict
Charlotte Scarr
Reporting from Dhaka
More than a hundred people are gathered in the court room of the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka awaiting the verdict and sentencing of Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The room is crowded with dozens of advocates, family members of those killed during the July protests, and Bangladeshi media. All empty space is filled with those standing. There are quiet discussions in the room as pieces of paper are handed around listing the five charges against the former prime minister.
There are three empty chairs at the end of the room, awaiting the three judges of the International Crimes Tribunal, including Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, who will deliver the verdict.
Image source, BBC/Mukimul Ahsan
Devina Gupta
Reporting from Delhi
This verdict could be a crucial test for the future of India-Bangladesh diplomacy.
Sheikh Hasina has been living in Delhi since she fled Bangladesh on 5 August last year amid massive nationwide protests. Dhaka has formally requested her extradition, but so far India has shown no willingness to comply.
While both countries have an extradition treaty, this case is overshadowed by complex diplomatic realities. Delhi will have to balance allegations that the case against Hasina is politically motivated with growing concerns over her personal safety.
Recently, Bangladesh’s chief advisor Muhammad Yunus said in a media interview that India has been “supporting” Hasina. India, however, maintains that it backs free and fair elections and is prepared to work with whichever government emerges after a popular mandate.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has described matters related to Hasina as “judicial and legal” issues that require “consultations” between the two neighbours.
Arunoday Mukharji
Reporting from Dhaka
Abdul Rob, 48, is outside court. His 29-year-old son Miraj was killed during the police crackdown last year.
The banner he is holding bears the image of a noose and demands the death penalty for Sheikh Hasina.
Abdul breaks down while talking to me about his loss.
“My son died young," he says. "He wasn’t even married."
Court proceedings are due to start in 10 minutes. We've got a team inside the court and will bring you the latest updates as we get them. Stay with us.
Our team on the ground say police are carrying out stop and searches in Dhaka this morning.
They have seen passengers and pedestrians being checked.
As we've been reporting, a massive security operation is under way in anticipation of unrest after the verdict is confirmed.
Former US Ambassador to Bangladesh James Moriarty has just been speaking with the BBC who says the significance of today's verdict for former PM Sheikh Hasina is huge.
He says the Awami League was able to hold onto power for 15 years, an "unprecedented" period in power for one party since Bangladesh became independent in 1971.
Hasina's party amended the constitution and changed the legal system in order to build a one-party state, he adds, but that is changing, with a debate about what Bangladesh will look like in the future under way.
He predicts there will be some violence if a guilty verdict is handed down but that it will not escalate.
For Awami League members in Bangladesh, Moriarty says they are at a crossroads and it will need to decide what role it will play in the future of Bangladeshi politics.
If Hasina is acquitted, Moriarty says there will be huge protests as "there is a little bit of bloodlust right now in Bangladesh".
Arunoday Mukharji
Reporting from Dhaka
One of the leaders of last year's protests was surrounded by journalists as he arrived at court
Families of those who lost their lives in the police crackdown last year have started arriving at court.
Prosecutors told us this morning that at least 15 families are expected to be present when the special tribunal reads out its verdict.
We have also seen some student leaders who participated in the protests reach court.
There has been heightened activity in the last half an hour, with more police escort vehicles driving into the court area.
This is a heavy media presence outside the gates where several onlookers have also gathered as proceedings on this highly-anticipated verdict are set to begin.
Our team is on the ground at the Dhaka courtroom where the Hasina verdict will be read out.
As you can see from the pictures they've sent us, security in the area is tight.
This is a tense day for Bangladesh, a country with deep political divides - and authorities clearly fear any verdict could trigger a response.
Anbarasan Ethirajan
Global Affairs Reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesSheikh Hasina was the longest-serving prime minister of Bangladesh. She became a pro-democracy icon when she joined hands with other political parties against military rule in the 1980s. She was first elected to power in 1996.
Her second stint that started in 2009 became controversial. It was marred by accusations of extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and the stifling of dissent, a remarkable turnaround for a leader who once fought for multi-party democracy.
Ms Hasina says the killings during the anti-government demonstrations last year were "tragic", but categorically denied personally ordering security forces to fire at protesters in the weeks before she fled.
Her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the country's independence from Pakistan in 1971 and became its first president. Her father was assassinated with most of his family members in 1975. Only Ms Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana survived as they were abroad at that time.
Ms Hasina is a true political survivor, enduring numerous arrests while in opposition and several assassination attempts. But a guilty verdict today will significantly reduce her chances of a political comeback or even returning to Bangladesh in the near future.
Read more here about the pro-democracy icon who became an autocrat.
Charlotte Scarr
Reporting from Dhaka
Senior police official Jisanul Haque has told us a crude bomb reportedly exploded this morning at around 08:30 local time in the Dhanmondi neighbourhood of Dhaka.
No casualties have been reported, he said, but a police presence remains in the area.
According to Reuters news agency, there have been more than 30 crude bomb explosions and dozens of buses set alight in Dhaka and beyond in recent days ahead of the verdict.
Arunoday Mukharji
Reporting from Dhaka
There is heightened security across Bangladesh ahead of the verdict against deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which is due in the next hour.
She is being tried in-absentia by a special tribunal for alleged crimes against humanity related to a violent crackdown on student-led protests which toppled her government last year.
There are rows of armed security personnel and riot police standing guard outside the international crimes tribunal from where the verdict will be pronounced in a few hours.
Driving around Dhaka, we spotted a few police checkpoints close to government offices.
Police say dozens of supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party have been detained on suspicion of planning to cause unrest.
Prosecutors have sought the death penalty against the former prime minister, alleging the police action on protesters last year was carried out on her orders.
The deposed leader denies all charges in the crackdown where the United Nations says hundreds were killed. The protests ended with Hasina fleeing to India, where she has been living ever since.
Hello and thank you for joining our live coverage of a significant day in Bangladesh.
Shortly we're expecting to learn the verdict passed down against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following a special tribunal.
She is accused of crimes against humanity for her alleged role in a crackdown on student-led protests last year, demonstrations which saw her forced from office and flee the country.
Hasina, a deeply polarising figure in Bangladesh, was tried in absentia and is now living in exile in India.
Security has been ramped up across the country over fears of protests and unrest from her supporter or critics, depending on which way the verdict goes.
We will be following the announcement and any reaction here.