Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina charged with crimes against humanity

Dhaka, June 1 (IANS) Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been formally charged with crimes against humanity by the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) over her alleged role in the violent nationwide uprising of July 2024, according to local media reports.

The charges, which were made public on Sunday, mark a significant turn in the political landscape of Bangladesh, as the trial of the exiled former leader began with live television coverage.

Alongside Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun have also been named co-accused in the case.

The tribunal, in its Sunday session, received a formal submission of charges from prosecutors who claimed Hasina was the central figure responsible for instigating the mass violence that engulfed the country during July and August last year.

Leading Bangladeshi daily, The Dhaka Tribune, reported that an investigation report submitted on May 12 identified Hasina as having "directly ordered" the killings.

The findings allege that she instructed state security forces, members of her political party, and affiliated organisations to execute brutal crackdowns against the growing wave of anti-government protests.

"These killings were planned," said Chief Prosecutor of Bangladesh's ICT Mohammad Tajul Islam, during the high-profile televised hearing.

He presented video recordings and encrypted communications as evidence, claiming they establish Hasina's orchestration of a "coordinated, widespread and systematic attack."

According to the prosecution, Hasina, then serving as the head of government, bore command responsibility for the violent actions carried out by security forces under her leadership during the peak of the unrest.

"She unleashed all law enforcement agencies and her armed party members to crush the uprising," Tajul Islam told the tribunal.

This development comes weeks after the interim government, currently led by Muhammad Yunus, banned all activities of the Awami League -- Hasina's party -- under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The mass protests, initially sparked in early 2024 by student-led demonstrations opposing a controversial job quota system, quickly morphed into a widespread movement demanding Hasina's resignation.

By August 5, facing intense pressure, Hasina stepped down and fled to New Delhi, where she has remained in self-imposed exile.

In October 2024, the ICT issued an arrest warrant against her and formally requested her extradition from India.

--IANS

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