Bangladesh’s deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday was officially declared responsible for crimes against humanity by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Following this, Bangladesh has once again requested India for her extradition.
A three-member panel of ICT, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, indicted Hasina by accepting charges of crimes against humanity filed against her. These charges are in connection with a mass uprising in which, allegedly, hundreds of students were killed last year.
“The International Crimes Tribunalheld of Bangladesh has framed the charge against her (Hasina) alongside the home minister of her regime, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and (the then) inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun,” a prosecution lawyer said in a media briefing.
The three were convicted for their attempts to suppress the student-led July-August protests last year. A massive nationwide protest was held in light of the job quota system in the country. The prosecutors said Hasina was also accused of mass killings, murder and torture to suppress the uprising.
The interim Bangladesh government led by Muhammad Yunus alleged that in the seven-week uprising, more than 1,000 protesters had been killed and about 20,000 injured or disabled.
The chief prosecutor at Bangladesh's domestic ICT, Mohammad Tajul Islam, had alleged that Hasina orchestrated a "systemic attack" on protests against her government.
"Upon scrutinising the evidence, we reached the conclusion that it was a coordinated, widespread and systematic attack. The accused unleashed all law enforcement agencies and her armed party members to crush the uprising," Islam had told the court in his opening speech, according to AFP news agency.
As per the country’s media, IGP Mamun had admitted guilt and requested to become a state witness in the case. He is the only one among the three to be detained in jail. Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, after her Awami League government was overthrown. Khan is absconding. The trial will begin in the absence of Hasina and Khan.
In December 2024, Bangladesh sent New Delhi a formal diplomatic note, requesting the extradition of Hasina. India confirmed receiving it but did not comment further. Bangladesh’s interim government again on Wednesday called on India to extradite Hasina.
Hassina is still residing in India in an undisclosed location.
