Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for self-exiled former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina and 45 others, including her close aides, on charges of crimes against humanity.
Mohammad Tajul Islam, Chief Prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), said that the court has ordered Hasina and the 45 others to attend court by November 18, 2024. “Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity in July to August,” Islam said, referring to a crackdown on student protests, which, according to the interim Health Ministry, killed more than 1,000 people.
Prosecutor B.M. Sultan Mahmud said that the Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the country’s interim leader, issued the arrest warrants in response to two petitions submitted by the prosecution.
“The tribunal first accepted our petition that involved Sheikh Hasina alone. Then we moved our second petition against 45 people that involved her close aides and others for the crimes against humanity. It was also accepted by the tribunal.”
B.M. Sultan Mahmud
He said the head of the tribunal, Golam Mortuza Majumdar, issued the orders in the presence of other judges.
Hasina fled the country to India on August 5, 2024, after weeks of violent protests over government job quotas in which hundreds of people died.
The student-led movement began with demonstrations demanding the government abolish its practice of reserving a third of civil service jobs for relatives of war veterans, before spiralling into wider protests calling for Hasina’s resignation.
She was replaced by Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, who is currently leading the country’s interim government.
Human rights groups accused the prime minister of using excessive force against protesters, a charge she denied.
Prosecutors said in the petitions that Hasina, her close aides and security agencies were responsible for killing the protesters and others.
The Yunus-led interim government has promised to try Hasina and others in her administration for alleged crimes involving the uprising against her and has invited the United Nations to help investigate the killings.
Hasina also called for investigation as she questioned the killings, saying many deaths may have involved others beyond security agencies.
It was Hasina’s government that created the deeply contentious ICT in 2010 to probe atrocities during the 1971 independence war from Pakistan.
Human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have previously criticized the ICT for its procedural shortcomings.
Now, with the tribunal turning its focus to Hasina, some fear that the process may lack the transparency and fairness necessary for such a high-profile trial.
Hasina Not Seen In Public Since Leaving Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina has not been seen in public since leaving Bangladesh.
The 77-year-old’s last official whereabouts is a military airbase near India’s capital, New Delhi.
Her presence in India has infuriated Bangladesh, which has revoked Hasina’s diplomatic passport. The two countries have a bilateral extradition treaty which could theoretically compel her to return to face criminal trial.
However, a clause in the treaty says extradition might be refused if the offence is of a “political character.”
It is not clear if India will respond to any request from Bangladesh for Hasina’s extradition under the mutual treaty.
The tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Muhammad Tajul Islam, earlier said that they would seek help from Interpol, if necessary, to get Hasina back.
It is not clear whether the former pro-democracy icon, who critics say had become increasingly autocratic during her 15-year reign, will remain in India or head elsewhere.
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