Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, was dismissed from office in August following a widespread student protest, and on Thursday, a Bangladeshi court issued an arrest warrant for her, according to news agency AFP.
Chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal Mohammad Tajul Islam said, “The court has ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and for her to appear in court on November 18.”
After leaving Bangladesh, the former prime minister went to India and hasn’t been seen in public since. Her last known location was a military airbase close to New Delhi, the capital of India.
The news agency reported that Hasina was the subject of an arrest warrant due to allegations of crimes against humanity. There have been several reports of widespread violations of human rights under Hasina’s 15-year tenure, including the extrajudicial killings of her political opponents and mass detentions.
“Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity from July to August” , Islam continued.
The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka, which is presided over by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the nation’s acting leader, issued the arrest warrants in response to two applications filed by the prosecution, according to prosecutor B.M. Sultan Mahmud.
An order against an additional Hasina ally
In addition, the court issued an arrest warrant for 44 unidentified individuals and Obaidul Quader, the former general secretary of Hasina’s Awami League party who is currently on the run.
Following the fall of her rule, many of Hasina’s supporters were arrested and held on suspicion of being involved in a police crackdown that resulted in the deaths of over 700 people amid the uprising that led to her overthrow.
Her government’s appointees were purportedly removed from the central bank and judiciary, and former cabinet ministers and other prominent members of her Awami League party have been detained.
Leave a Reply