Bangladesh: ICT under Yunus regime charges former PM Sheikh Hasina of ‘crimes against humanity’
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been charged with crimes against humanity for her alleged role in the violent revolution that overthrew her government last year in Bangladesh.
As per reports, an investigation report found that Hasina ordered the state security forces, members of her political party and affiliated groups to conduct operations resulting in mass casualties.
The information was shared by Tajul Islam, Chief Prosecutor in a televised at Bangladesh’s domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) during a televised hearing on Sunday (1st June) citing video evidence and ecrypted communications between various agencies. “These killings were planned,” said Islam.
The prosecutors alleged that Hasina, being at the helm, was responsible for the operations of the security force during the violent protests.
They accused her of “abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy and failure to prevent mass murder during the July uprising”.
Former Home Minister of Bangladesh Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Former Police Chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun has been made co-accused .
“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,” said the Chief Prosecutor.
This comes after the Muhammad Yunus-led regime in Bangladesh banned all activities of the Awami League under the revised Anti-Terrorism Act last month.
In a witch-hunt against Hasina’s supporters and Awami League members, Yunus launched “Operation Devil Hunt” and apprehended more than 4000 people.
The Yunus government claimed that this campaign has been launched to catch criminals and improve law and order. However, the administration has so far arrested and imprisoned over 100 Awami League MPs and former ministers under multiple offences.
Ousted Hasina fled to India seeking refuge
After 15 years of successfully ruling Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina had to flee from her country in August last year following regime change operations disguised as a student-led protest that went on for weeks. The Hindu minorities of Bangladeshfaced brutal violence during the so-called protests.
An interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took over and promised to take the country on the path of democracy. However, almost a year after the undemocratic ouster of the Hasina government, the elections are nowhere in sight in Bangladesh. Muhammad Yunus had been strategically pushing behind the date for conducting elections to hold onto power undemocratically. On 25th May this year, the Press Secretary of Muhammad Yunus declared that Yunus would not stay in power for a single day after 30th June 2026 (indicating that elections in Bangladesh are unlikely to happen until that time).
India-Bangladesh relations have also spiralled down since the Yunus-led regime usurped power. The India-Bangladesh border has seen multiple attempts of people trying to cross the border over to India, and both countries are also discussing border security. High-level officials from India and Bangladesh have discussed multiple issues.
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