Bangladesh Tribunal Accepts Crimes Against Humanity Charges Against Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reviews an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, April 26, 2024

A special tribunal in Bangladesh has officially accepted charges of crimes against humanity against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in connection with a deadly mass uprising that swept the country in mid-2023, leaving hundreds of students dead. The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal opened proceedings on Sunday, setting a significant legal milestone in the ongoing political crisis.

The tribunal ordered investigators to produce Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun before the court on June 16. Hasina has been in exile in India since August 5, 2023, while Khan’s whereabouts remain unknown, though he is also believed to be in India. Mamun is currently in custody.

Bangladesh formally requested Hasina’s extradition from India in December 2023, but New Delhi has yet to respond publicly. The tribunal proceedings were broadcast live on state-run television, drawing widespread domestic and international attention.

According to the investigation report submitted on May 12, the tribunal’s prosecutors presented five charges of crimes against humanity against Hasina and her co-accused. The charges stem from the July–August 2023 student-led protests, during which security forces and political operatives allegedly carried out a brutal crackdown under Hasina’s directive.

The charges include mass killings, injuries, targeted attacks on women and children, burning of bodies, and denial of medical care to the injured. Investigators allege that Hasina, then serving as Prime Minister, personally ordered state agencies, members of her ruling Awami League party, and allied groups to suppress the uprising with extreme force.

The protests erupted amid mounting frustration over Hasina's 15-year rule, marked by accusations of authoritarianism, election manipulation, and suppression of dissent. The situation escalated rapidly, culminating in a violent crackdown that shocked the nation and drew condemnation from international human rights organizations.

In February 2024, the United Nations human rights office estimated that as many as 1,400 people were killed during a three-week period of the protests and ensuing state response.

Hasina’s removal from office occurred shortly after the violence. On August 8, 2023, three days after her ouster, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed the role of interim national leader, marking a dramatic shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape.

The International Crimes Tribunal trying Hasina is the same body she established in 2009 to investigate atrocities committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. That tribunal was previously used by Hasina’s administration to prosecute mostly opposition leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami, leading to criticism of political bias.

The legacy of Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh, looms large in this case. Mujib led the independence movement with support from India and served as the nation’s first Prime Minister after breaking away from Pakistan. Now, his daughter faces trial in the very tribunal she created, under charges that may define the next chapter in Bangladesh’s political evolution.