Dhaka (TDI): A Bangladeshi court has issued a second arrest warrant for exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, this time for her alleged role in enforced disappearances, the chief prosecutor said on Monday.
Dhaka has already issued an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity for her, who fled to old ally India in August last year after she was toppled by a student-led revolution.
Hasina’s 15-year tenure saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial murders of her political opponents.
Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), stated that the second warrant relates to enforced disappearances during her rule.
Over 500 people were allegedly abducted by Bangladeshi security personnel, with some kept in secret facilities for years.
Also Read: Bangladesh Asks India to Hand Over Hasina for ‘Judicial Process’
Victims have started coming forward since Hasina’s ouster with harrowing accounts of their ordeals.
“The court issued a warrant for the former leader and 11 others, including her military adviser, military personnel, and other law enforcement officials,” Islam informed journalists.
Dhaka asked New Delhi in December to send Hasina back to face trial, a demand to which India declined to respond.
Islam said the court intended to go ahead with the case.
“We aim to ensure the trial concludes promptly, but we will not break the law or issue a ruling without due process,” he told reporters.
Also Read: Bangladesh to Seek Extradition of Sheikh Hasina
Dozens of Hasina’s allies have been arrested since her government collapsed, accused of involvement in a police crackdown that killed over 700 people during the unrest that led to her ouster.
