July uprising: ICT issues arrest warrant against Hasina, Asaduzzaman
Bangladesh desk: The International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday issued arrest warrants against ousted prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, the then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and the then inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in a case of crimes against humanity committed during the July-August mass uprising in 2024.
A three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumdar passed the order after accepting the formal charge pressed by the prosecution.
Of the three accused, only former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is now in jail, while Hasina and Asaduzzaman are in hiding.
The tribunal set June 16 as the next hearing date in the case and ordered that all three accused be presented before the court on that day.
Earlier in the day, the prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday filed the formal charge in a crimes against humanity case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina over monstrous crimes committed to suppress the July-August Mass Uprising.
The prosecution submitted the formal charge at the office of the ICT Registrar around noon. Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun are also accused in the case.
The investigation agency of the ICT on May 12 filed its probe report in the crimes against humanity and mass killing case, bringing five charges against the accused.
‘The probe body has brought five charges against the mastermind of the crimes and superior commander Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun,’ ICT chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam said earlier.
The chief prosecutor said that the ousted prime minister incited crimes against humanity through her July 14 press briefing, where she described the anti-discrimination agitators as the grandchildren of the Rajakars.
‘She unleashed various law enforcement and intelligence agencies against them (the protesting students). Apart from the state agencies, armed members of the Awami League and its associate bodies like the Juba League and Chhatra League swooped on the protesters with all their might. They slaughtered the agitating students, injured them and committed crimes against humanity,’ Muhammad Tajul Islam also said.
The ICT chief prosecutor said accused Sheikh Hasina gave a direct order to commit crimes against humanity.
‘The investigation agency seized records of telephonic conversations of Sheikh Hasina, in which she repeatedly confirmed that she ordered all the state agencies to eliminate innocent civilians peacefully protesting for a fair demand, using helicopters, drones and APCs (armoured personnel carriers),’ he added.
The three other charges are related to specific incidents in which crimes were committed following the directives of Sheikh Hasina, the chief prosecutor said.
