Bangladesh ICT issues second arrest warrant against ex-PM Hasina
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Dhaka: Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday issued a second arrest warrant against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 11 others, including former military generals and a former police chief, in connection with allegations of enforced disappearances.
This marks the second arrest warrant issued by the ICT for Hasina, who fled to India after her Awami League government was overthrown following widespread anti-government protests in August last year. The tribunal has already recorded three cases against her.
Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, chairman of the tribunal, issued the arrest warrant following a prosecution plea. The Inspector General of Police has been instructed to arrest the accused individuals, including Hasina, and present them before the tribunal on February 12. This case pertains to the enforced disappearances of hundreds of individuals.
Among those named in the case are Hasina’s former defence adviser, Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, and ex-Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed. Siddique is currently in custody, while Ahmed is believed to be evading arrest. The names of most of the accused remain undisclosed by the chief prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Islam, for investigative purposes.
Islam also revealed that if the investigation report is not ready by February 12, law enforcement agencies will be required to submit a progress report on the arrests. He noted that the ousted regime had fostered a culture of enforced disappearances under state sponsorship, with agencies like the elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the Detective Branch (DB), the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) frequently involved in such actions.
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According to Islam, over the past 15 years, the regime had instilled a culture of fear through forced disappearances and crossfire incidents, with thousands of people abducted by various forces, both in plainclothes and uniform. Most of these individuals have never returned.
Last month, Bangladesh officially requested Hasina’s extradition from India. While New Delhi acknowledged the request, it refrained from commenting on the matter. The first arrest warrant against Hasina was issued by the ICT on October 17, 2024, on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity during the July-August protests and uprisings.
Since the fall of the Awami League government, at least 60 cases of enforced disappearances, killings, genocide, and crimes against humanity have been lodged at the ICT. These cases accuse Hasina, leaders of her party and its allies, as well as senior law enforcement officials.
Additionally, a commission formed by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s interim government last month submitted a provisional report alleging Hasina’s involvement in enforced disappearances, with alleged complicity from officials and neighboring India. The commission recorded 1,676 complaints of enforced disappearances, of which 758 have been examined, revealing that 27% of the victims have never returned.
With PTI inputs