Sheikh Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 15 years, resigned from her position and fled the country due to student riots at the beginning of August.
Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal (ICT) has opened three mass murder investigations into the former prime minister From Sheikh Hasina. The court was established by Hasina herself.
Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 15 years, resigned from her post and fled the country due to student riots at the beginning of August. More than 450 people died in the initially peaceful demonstrations after the police began to suppress them.
– At this stage, we are collecting preliminary evidence, deputy head of the court’s investigation department Ataur Rahman says.
All three lawsuits are filed by private individuals and are related to the violent suppression of protests. Several of Hasina’s high-ranking aides have also been named in them.
The investigations are related to the violence that occurred in the Mirpur, Munshiganj and Savar areas of the capital of Bangladesh.
In addition, local police units across Bangladesh have filed at least 15 cases against Hasina, according to Bangladeshi media.
Some of the lawsuits are related to events from before the latest unrest. The charges include murder and crimes against humanity.
Hasina’s regime has been accused of widespread human rights violations, including the killing of thousands of her political opponents.
The UN said on Friday that there are strong indications that the country’s security forces used excessive force also in suppressing student riots.
– Possible abuses include unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, involuntary disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, the UN Human Rights Office says in its preliminary report.
Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus has promised that his administration will provide all the support the UN researchers need.
Hasina’s administration established the ICT in 2010 to deal with the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army in the Bangladesh War of Independence. The ICT sentenced more than 100 people to death, including Hasina’s political opponents.
Human rights organizations have often criticized ICT for not complying with international agreements.
Source: AFP