Bangladesh is seeking an International Criminal Court (ICC) trial for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, accusing her and her associates of involvement in a massacre during the 2013 uprisings and the systematic use of enforced disappearances over her 15-year rule. These charges stem from claims of violent suppression of protests and unlawful detentions.
Dhaka: Bangladesh is seeking to pursue a trial against deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the International Criminal Court (ICC), even as she faces charges in a domestic tribunal for crimes against humanity, according to Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government.
An official from Yunus’s press office reported that he discussed Hasina’s trial with ICC prosecutor Karim A. Khan during a meeting at his official residence on Thursday.
Hasina fled to India on August 5 amid widespread protests against her Awami League-led government over a contentious job quota system. Just three days later, Yunus, a Nobel laureate, assumed the role of chief adviser to the interim government.
During his meeting with Khan, Yunus stated that Bangladesh intends to pursue charges against Hasina and her associates, particularly regarding accusations of carrying out a massacre during the mass uprisings in July and August, as well as enforced disappearances that occurred during her 15 years in power.
Currently, numerous cases against Hasina and her cabinet members are being processed at the Internal Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT-BD). Many of these officials are either in custody, evading arrest domestically, or living abroad, while Dhaka has sought Interpol’s assistance for Hasina’s repatriation from India.
Yunus previously stated that his government would seek Sheikh Hasina’s return from India to face trial.
The ICC prosecutor mentioned that the international court is willing to cooperate with the Internal Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT-BD), which has already issued an arrest warrant for Hasina and several high-ranking members of her Awami League party.
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According to the press office, during their discussion, they also addressed the Rohingya crisis and the humanitarian assistance needed for them, as well as the situation in Myanmar and the prosecution of atrocities committed during the July-August mass movement in Bangladesh.
Khan informed Yunus that his office had formally requested an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s military government, for crimes against humanity related to the treatment of the Rohingya people.