Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina formally indicted in crimes against humanity case

Bangladesh's deposed premier Sheikh Hasina was on Thursday formally indicted in absentia in a crimes against humanity case by the country's International Crimes Tribunal.

The special tribunal has set August 3 as the start date for the trial. “The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT-BD) has framed the charge against her (Hasina) alongside the home minister of her regime Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and (the then) inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun,” a prosecution lawyer told a media briefing.

The three were indicted for their attempts to suppress the student-led July-August protests last year.

The prosecutors said Hasina was also accused of mass killings, murder, and torture in a bid to suppress the uprising.

Mamun, the sole accused appearing in person, pleaded guilty when produced before the tribunal from custody, prosecutors added.

Hasina’s Awami League regime was ousted in the violent movement led by Students Against Discrimination (SAD) on August 5, 2024, following which she fled to India on a military aircraft.