Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been formally charged with crimes against humanity by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
The charges relate to her alleged role in the deadly uprising that swept Bangladesh in July 2024, according to local media reports.
The tribunal made the charges public on Sunday, marking a major shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape. The trial began with live television coverage, drawing national and international attention.
The ICT named Hasina as the central figure in the violent crackdown. Prosecutors allege she ordered security forces, party workers, and affiliated groups to suppress protests with force.
“These killings were planned,” said Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam during Sunday’s hearing.
He submitted video recordings and encrypted messages, claiming they prove Hasina directed a ‘coordinated, widespread and systematic attack’.
Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were also charged as co-accused.
A report submitted to the tribunal on 12 May stated that Hasina ‘directly ordered’ the killings.
The evidence, according to prosecutors, shows she used state forces and party loyalists to quash dissent during the protests.
The unrest began with student-led protests against a job quota system. These soon escalated into a mass movement demanding Hasina’s resignation.
By August 5, under growing pressure, Hasina stepped down and fled to New Delhi, where she remains in self-imposed exile.
In October 2024, the ICT issued an arrest warrant and requested her extradition from India.
The charges follow the interim government’s ban on all Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The tribunal has placed command responsibility on Hasina, saying she ‘unleashed’ all state forces and armed party members to suppress the uprising.
The trial continues under heavy public and international scrutiny, with the crimes against humanity charge likely to reshape the nation’s political future.
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