2024 Crackdown "Planned": Bangadesh Charges Ex-PM Shiekh Hasina With Crime Against Humanity
The Bangladesh government has charged former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with crimes against humanity for allegedly committing mass killing during the nationwide uprising last year. The indictment against the former Prime Minister was declared on Sunday during a live broadcast of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) proceedings.
During the deadly protest last year, the government resorted to a heavy crackdown, leaving thousands dead. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam said that the 2024 violence was “planned and coordinated,” and not spontaneous, claiming that the accused unleashed all law enforcement agencies, including armed party members, to crush the uprising.
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The official said that their probe concluded it was a coordinated, widespread and systematic attack upon examining the evidence. According to the United Nations estimate, around 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, as Hasina’s government moved forcefully to quell protests that began as a student-led movement opposing public sector job quotas.
The episodes of protests have been one of the most violent uprisings in the country since its independence in 1971, which ultimately led to the ouster of Hasina, who fled to India. She is currently living in exile, and has dismissed the charges, stating they are politically-motivated.
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The government has also indicted former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who is currently in custody, and ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who is reportedly in hiding.
The chief prosecutor said the charges are not an act of vendetta, but a commitment to the principle that, in a democratic country, there is no room for crimes against humanity.
The investigators have presented evidence that includes phone recordings, drone logs, helicopter flight data, and survivor testimony to substantiate the charges.
Meanwhile, a court during a trial on May 25, charged eight police officers in connection with the killing of six protesters on August 5—the day Hasina fled.
