Dhaka (TDI): Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Monday ordered former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to return and stand trial on charges that include crimes against humanity, stemming from last year’s deadly political unrest.
The 77-year-old former leader has been in hiding since August 2024, when she reportedly fled Dhaka by helicopter and crossed into India following a massive student-led uprising that ultimately toppled her government. Hasina has so far ignored an extradition request from Dhaka.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 1,400 people were killed in just two months between July and August 2024, as security forces cracked down on protestors in an attempt to suppress dissent and maintain Hasina’s grip on power.
Now, the embattled former premier faces five serious charges under Bangladesh’s war crimes legislation. These include incitement, conspiracy, complicity, facilitation, and failure to prevent mass killings, all of which, according to prosecutors, constitute crimes against humanity under national law.
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“The court has instructed the prosecution to issue notices summoning the accused to appear,” said chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam on Monday. He added that proceedings would continue without Hasina if she fails to show up by June 24.
Hasina is being tried alongside two of her top former officials. One of them, ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, is also on the run. The other, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, is currently in custody and was present in court on Monday.
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The tribunal has been central to the interim government’s efforts to bring members of Hasina’s now-outlawed Awami League to justice. Public calls for accountability have grown louder as multiple political factions maneuver for influence ahead of the next national elections, currently scheduled for April 2026, though some groups are demanding an earlier vote.
