Dhaka: Prosecutors at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) formally charged former PM Sheikh Hasina and two others with crimes against humanity and other charges, including mass murder, for their alleged role in a violent crackdown last year in which hundreds of people were killed.
The other two charged along with Hasina are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun.
“We do hereby take into cognisance the charges,” the three-judge ICT bench led by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumdar said after a prosecution team accused them of attempting to tame the protests using brutal force. The tribunal ordered investigators to present all three accused before the court on June 16.
Former IGP Mamun is in police custody. Hasina and Kamal are residing abroad. Sunday’s proceedings marked the start of Hasina's trial in absentia nearly 10 months after the ouster of her govt following protests. Under the ICT law, if convicted, Hasina and the co-accused could face the death penalty. The proceedings were broadcast live on television for the first time in Bangladesh’s history.
The complaint, submitted by chief prosecutor Tajul Islam, outlined five counts of alleged crimes, including murder, attempted murder, torture and other inhumane acts.
The accused are also charged with abetting, inciting, facilitating and being complicit in, as well as failing to prevent, a series of crimes reportedly committed against civilians by law enforcement agencies and armed affiliates of the Awami League.