A court in Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She was forced out of office in August as thousands of students stormed the streets. Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, said the warrant calls for her to appear in court on November 18.
Hasina has not been seen in public since she fled to India, where media reports placed her in a military airbase on the outskirts of New Delhi. An arrest warrant was issued against her on grounds of crimes against humanity during her 15-year rule that was marred by reports of widespread human rights violations, including mass detention and extrajudicial killing of political opponents.
Islam said,
“Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity from July to August.”
In addition to Hasina, the court has also issued a warrant for Obaidul Quader, the former general secretary of Hasina’s Awami League party, along with 44 unnamed associates.
Hasina’s government fell last month after widespread protests against corruption and lack of democracy, leaving over 700 people dead in a resulting police crackdown. Hundreds of allies have been arrested since then and charged with orchestrating the police crackdown. Several former cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials of the ruling Awami League have been put behind bars. Hasina’s appointees have been sent packing from every institution, from the judiciary to the central bank.
