Daijiworld Media Network - Dhaka

Dhaka, Jun 1: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has formally charged former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with crimes against humanity for her alleged role in the violent nationwide uprising of July 2024, according to local media reports.

The charges, made public on Sunday, represent a dramatic shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape, as the trial of the exiled leader began with live television coverage.

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

Prosecutors presented an investigation report submitted on May 12, which alleged that Hasina directly ordered killings during the 2024 anti-government protests. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told the tribunal that Hasina, then head of government, bore command responsibility for systematic and coordinated violence by security forces and her party’s armed members.

“She unleashed all law enforcement agencies and her armed party members to crush the uprising,” Tajul Islam said, presenting video recordings and encrypted communications as evidence.

The mass protests that erupted in early 2024 began as student-led demonstrations against a controversial job quota system but soon evolved into a nationwide movement demanding Hasina’s resignation. Facing mounting pressure, Hasina stepped down on August 5 and fled to New Delhi, where she remains in self-imposed exile.

In October 2024, the ICT issued an arrest warrant for Hasina and formally requested her extradition from India. This follows the current interim government’s recent ban on all activities of Hasina’s Awami League party under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The charges against Hasina mark a pivotal moment in Bangladesh’s ongoing political crisis, highlighting tensions between the former ruling party and the current government led by Muhammad Yunus.