Online Report
Bangladesh’s fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has denied all charges of committing crimes against humanity, her state-appointed defence counsel said Tuesday, as her trial in absentia continues.Bangladesh tourism guide
Hasina, who fled to India following last August’s massive student-led uprising that ended her rule, stands accused of orchestrating a violent crackdown on protesters.
According to United Nations estimates, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August last year when Hasina’s government attempted to suppress the movement in a failed bid to stay in power.
The trial began on June 1 in the absence of Hasina, who has refused to return to Bangladesh despite court summons. Prosecutors have filed five serious charges against her — abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to prevent mass murder — all of which collectively amount to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.
Speaking to reporters, defence lawyer Amir Hossain said Hasina “categorically denies all the allegations” and that he would argue for her acquittal. Meanwhile, Hasina’s now-banned Awami League party issued a statement from London dismissing the proceedings as a “show trial” aimed at eliminating the party from the political landscape.Bangladesh tourism guide
Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam countered that Hasina was “driven by an obsession to hold on to power at any cost.” Prosecutors have highlighted her alleged push to elevate her late father, Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to a figure of near-worship as part of consolidating her authority.
In support of the charges, prosecutors pointed to Hasina’s alleged approval of lethal force, including the deployment of helicopters to fire on protesters. They have also laid out her “overall command responsibility” in three emblematic cases tied to the bloody crackdown: the murder of 23-year-old student activist Abu Sayeed, the killing of six protesters in Dhaka’s Chankharpul area, and the murder and burning of six individuals in Ashulia, another suburb of the capital. Separate trials on these incidents are underway.
Hasina is being tried alongside two former top officials: ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also on the run, and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who is in custody.
Bangladesh tourism guide
The high-profile trial continues, with international observers closely watching how Bangladesh’s interim authorities handle one of the most significant legal and political challenges in the country’s recent history.