Bangladesh tribunal issues arrest warrant for former leader Sheikh Hasina
A Bangladesh tribunal issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over her alleged involvement in mass killings during protests this year.
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, currently in India, citing her alleged involvement in mass killings during violent protests that erupted earlier this year.
The protests, which began as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, escalated into some of the deadliest unrest since the country’s independence in 1971, resulting in more than 700 deaths and numerous injuries.
The violence ultimately forced Hasina to flee to India on Aug. 5, and an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge.
The tribunal’s proceedings, presided over by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumdar, saw prosecutors request arrest warrants for 50 individuals, including Hasina.
“We appealed to the court that if the accused, who are extremely influential, are not arrested, it will be impossible to conduct the investigation,” chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam told reporters.
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