Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) will deliver its verdict today on November 17 in the high-profile case against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is being tried in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity. In a while, the verdict against Sheikh Hasina and three others will be announced.
The three-judge tribunal fixed the verdict date after extensive hearings on allegations that Hasina ordered a violent crackdown during a student-led uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Hasina, 78, has been residing in India since her ouster and has repeatedly ignored court summons to return and face trial.
Almost everyone is looking forward to what the court has to say on the ousted PM. But before that, what exactly are the charges against Sheikh Hasina and the other accused.
High-profile accused and testimonies
Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were charged with ordering mass killings to crush the “July Uprising.”
While Hasina and Kamal were declared fugitives and tried in absentia, Mamun appeared before the tribunal and later turned approver.
The trial, which began on June 1, concluded on October 23 after 28 working days of proceedings. During the hearings, 54 witnesses testified, detailing violent crackdowns and alleged state-backed atrocities during the nationwide student protests.
Charges against Sheikh Hasina
Hasina allegedly referred to the protesters at Gana Bhavan on July 14 last year as ‘children and grandchildren of Rajakars. The protesters were attacked by members of the security forces and Awami League members on the orders of the former Home Minister, IGP and other higher authorities.
Although the word ‘Rajakar’ or ‘Razakar’ was initially used to mean ‘volunteer’, during the Bangladesh Liberation War it referred to a paramilitary force allied with Pakistan and opposed to independence. This force assisted the Pakistani occupation forces during the Liberation War and suppressed and killed Bengali freedom fighters. Today the word is used as a synonym for traitor and cheat.
Hasina allegedly ordered the killing and elimination of protesters. Helicopters, drones and even lethal weapons were ordered to attack them. As a result, more than a thousand protesters lost their lives on that order.
There are allegations that Sheikh Hasina and three others incited the murder of Abu Sayeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur.
On August 5, 2024, law enforcement officers shot and killed 6 people in Dhaka’s Chankharpul allegedly on Hasina’s orders. Hasina also allegedly ordered to burn 5 dead bodies and one injured person in a police car in Ashulia, Dhaka.
Unrest in Bangladesh ahead of Hasina’s verdict
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is already heated up ahead of the verdict. According to Reuters, unidentified miscreants set fire to a car in the area adjacent to the police station on Sunday night. In addition, a cocktail explosion was set off outside the house of one of Muhammad Yunus’s advisors.
According to Bangladesh media sources, explosions occurred in front of the main gate of Titumir College in Dhaka and in the Amtali intersection area. Buses were set on fire in several other areas. The unrest started in Dhaka around 1:30 am on Sunday. Dhaka Police has taken strict measures to prevent unrest.
Anyone trying to set fire to a bus or throw a cocktail bomb, then they will have to shoot on sight. Dhaka Police Commissioner Sajjat Ali has given this order to every police officer.
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