New Delhi: A local war crimes court, The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), has issued an arrest warrant against former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for alleged crimes against humanity.
Chief prosecutor of ICT Tajul Islam said, “The court has… ordered the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and to produce her in court on November 18.”
Set up in 2009, ICT (Bangladesh) is a domestic war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh to investigate and prosecute suspects of genocide committed in 1971.
Islam outlined the ‘crimes against humanity’ committed during the Awami League’s tenure. He highlighted several incidents, including the deaths of 74 individuals during the BDR mutiny, the killings at the Shapla Chattar Hifazat e-Islami rally, and extrajudicial killings carried out by the Rapid Action Battalion.
Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 amid rising protests that threatened her safety and landed in India. She has not appeared in public ever since.
She is being tried at ICT for the mass killings of protestors in July and August. The prosecution has sought arrest warrants against 50 other individuals who were involved in the violent suppression of the protestors.
“Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity from July to August,” Islam said, calling it a “remarkable day”.