A Bangladeshi court on Thursday ordered an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August, overthrown after several weeks of protests. The court “ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her appearance” on November 18, Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh, announced to the press.
Sheikh Hasina, 77, and her government have been accused of massive human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial executions of political opponents. The former head of government “was at the head of those who committed massacres, murders and crimes against humanity from July to August,” said Mohammad Tajul Islam.
Sheikh Hasina has not been seen in public since leaving Bangladesh. Its last known location is a military air base near the Indian capital, New Delhi. His presence in India aroused the ire of Bangladesh and Dhaka canceled his diplomatic passport. The two countries signed a bilateral extradition treaty that theoretically makes his return to Bangladesh possible to face justice. A clause in the treaty, however, indicates that extradition can be refused if the offense is of a “political character”.
The International Crimes Tribunal was established by Sheikh Hasina in 2010 to initially investigate atrocities committed during the war of independence against Pakistan in 1971. This controversial tribunal, often criticized by rights organizations human rights, sentenced to death more than a hundred people under the governments of Sheikh Hasina, including several of her opponents. The court is currently examining accusations against Sheikh Hasina, according to which the former prime minister organized the “mass murder” of demonstrators.
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