On Sunday, prosecutors in Bangladesh charged former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with crimes against humanity for her supposed involvement in the violent crackdowns during the 2024 student-led protests, which eventually resulted in her stepping down. This signifies the official start of the trial for the 77-year-old leader, who is presently residing in self-imposed exile in India.
A report from an investigation determined that Hasina “personally directed” state security forces, her political party, and associated groups to execute operations leading to mass fatalities, and she faces charges of “abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to avert mass murder during the July uprising,” as stated by the prosecutors.
‘These Killings were planned’
“These killings were planned,” stated Mohammad Tajul Islam, Chief Prosecutor at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), during a televised session on Sunday, referencing video proof and encrypted messages among multiple agencies.
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“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,” the Chief Prosecutor was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
Prosecutors also claimed that Hasina, in her role as government leader, has command responsibility for the actions taken by security forces amid the turmoil. In addition to Hasina, the complaint filed with the court named former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun as co-accused.
