‘Kangaroo court abusing judiciary': Awami League on Hasina's indictment by Bangladesh tribunal
The charges stem from the then Hasina-led Awami League government's response to widespread anti-government demonstrations in July and August 2024, which ultimately led to Hasina's ouster on 5 August.
New Delhi: In a first, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has formally indicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity.
According to a United Nations report, as many as 1,400 protesters, 12-13 percent of them children, were killed during the crackdown on protesters in Bangladesh between 1 July and 5 August 2024.
Hasina has been in exile in India since. In December 2024, the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration in Bangladesh sent a diplomatic note to India, requesting her extradition. India's Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the note but has not responded so far.
Last month, the ICT formally charged Hasina with crimes against humanity in another case, accusing her of 'ordering the extermination of protesters,' among other charges.
On 1 June, the charges became public during a live tribunal session. ICT even ordered Bangladeshi authorities to present her before a court on 16 June.
The tribunal has also indicted Bangladesh's former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun for their roles in the violent crackdown on protesters last year.
Of the three accused, only Mamun is currently in custody.
Bangladeshi media reports indicate Mamun has confessed and requested to turn state witness. The trial is set to begin in absentia on 3 August.
The interim administration's press secretary Shafiqul Alam issued a statement Wednesday, asking India to 'act with conscience and moral clarity' regarding the extradition. The statement followed a BBC Bangla report revealing a leaked phone conversation in which Hasina allegedly ordered security forces to 'shoot' student protesters during the uprising.
Awami League in a statement on X condemned the indictment calling it 'state sponsored persecution'.
'We condemn in strongest terms the indictment against our party president and other leaders as we assert that this step marks another testament to the ongoing witch hunt against our party and weaponisation of the judiciary by the Yunus regime … By resorting to this kangaroo court, Yunus regime has denied July August victims of justice and legitimized abuse of judiciary to decimate opposition let alone stoke ongoing pogrom including extrajudicial killings of citizens for their affiliation with Awami League—all repressive steps that violates universal human rights. While we reiterate our commitment for a fair trial for July august victims, we repeatedly express no confidence on the current trial process,' the statement read.
We Strongly Condemn the Weaponization of Judiciary and State-Sponsored Persecution Under the Yunus Regime
—
We condemn in strongest term the indictment against our party president and other leaders as we assert that this step marks another testament to the ongoing witch hunt…
— Bangladesh Awami League (@albd1971) July 10, 2025
The ICT is a reconstituted domestic war crimes tribunal established by the Hasina government in 2010, primarily to prosecute individuals accused of collaborating with Pakistan during the 1971 war.
It is currently dealing with 27 cases lodged in connection with crimes against humanity committed during the July 2024 student-led uprising, with Hasina and 205 others named as the accused, and 73 arrested so far. As many as 132 accused remain at large. One died in custody.
So far, only three of these cases, including the contempt of court case against Hasina, have moved to the trial stage, whereas the other 24 are in the preliminary investigation stage. Named in four cases, Hasina now faces jail in the case of contempt of court.
She also faces formal charges in another case that accuses her of inciting violence through provocative speeches; ordering the extermination of protesters using helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons; responsibility for the brutal murder of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayeed; and responsibility for the deaths of six protesters at Chankharpul.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: Protests rock Bangladesh after video of Hindu woman's rape goes viral, local BNP politician held
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bengali-speaking people from Assam detained in Gurugram by Haryana police, claim residents
The Haryana police have allegedly detained 26 Bengali-speaking people from Assam in Gurugram since Sunday morning on suspicion of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, according to eyewitnesses and residents of the area. The residents alleged that 21 men were picked up from Gurugram's Sector 103 on Sunday, while five others were rounded up from the same spot on Monday. The residents claimed that five detainees were released later in the day, and they boarded trains back to their home towns in Assam. However, the remaining 21 men are still in detention, they said. When reached for comment, the Haryana police did not respond. Over the past few days, police in several States, including Odisha, Assam, Haryana, and Delhi, have been accused of illegally detaining Bengali-speaking migrant workers on suspicion of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and harassing them. 'Around 11.30 a.m. on Sunday, I saw the 21 men, who work as rag-pickers, being picked up by policemen dressed in civvies,' claimed Anwar Hussain, 45, who lives a block away from the spot in Sector 103 from where the men were allegedly rounded up. 'When the men said that they are Indian citizens, the officers asked for their documents. Before any of them could go back to their rooms to fetch the ID cards, the police bundled them into vans and took them away,' alleged Mr. Hussain, who works as a garbage collector and claims to be from Assam. Another person from the locality, who did not wish to be named, alleged that five more persons were picked up around 9 a.m. on Monday. 'Later in the day, five persons were released by the police. All of them went straight to a railway station in Delhi to board a train for Assam,' the resident said.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Delhi Cuts Approval Time From 120 Days To 20 For Green Industries
The Delhi Government has slashed the approval time for Consent to Operate (CTO) from 120 days to just 20 days for Green Category industries. Applications will now be deemed approved if no action is taken within that period - a move government says will end long-standing delays and procedural bottlenecks. The announcement was made on Monday by Environment and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa who called the reform "historic," claiming it will benefit more than 65 categories of low-pollution industries operating in the capital. "This is a long-awaited change. We've done what could not be done in the last 50 years," the Minister said at a press conference, thanking Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta for backing the reform. "Most of these sectors are driven by small and medium enterprises, and they've been trapped in red tape for far too long." The move is aimed at simplifying operations for non-polluting units such as apparel manufacturers, cold storage facilities, ayurvedic medicine producers (without boilers), packaging, furniture, toys, and aluminium product makers, among others. Under the new rules, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) will have 20 days to decide on a CTO application. If no response comes within that time, the clearance will be granted automatically - no further follow-ups or documentation required. The reform will take effect from August 2025. According to the Minister, the change is part of a broader push to streamline governance and improve ease of doing business in the capital. A Single Window System is also being rolled out across departments to integrate approvals and cut down manual processes. "This is the end of the old License Raj mentality," Mr Sirsa said. "We are shifting to a trust-based, time-bound model that gives businesses the confidence to invest and expand." Industry representatives have welcomed the announcement but feel implementation on the ground would be key. The reform also aligns with the Centre's push for Ease of Doing Business and is being projected by the BJP-led Delhi government as part of its commitment to make the capital more business-friendly - especially for the MSME sector. For small and medium-sized industries, long caught in approval limbo, this could be the break they've been waiting for. But as the deadline-driven model replaces months of paperwork, one question hangs in the air - will it work as promised when the first applications hit the system?
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"State govt has failed to provide security to public": Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar
New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): Bihar Congress President Rajesh Kumar on Monday heavily criticiSed the NDA-led Bihar government over the previaling law and order situation in the state. The Bihar Congress President accused the government of 'failing to provide security to the public.' Speaking to ANI, he said, 'Earlier, Uttar Pradesh used to top the list of criminal incidents at national level, while Bihar was second on the list. But in today times, there has been surge in criminal incidents in Bihar, making it first in the list. These criminal incidents have been occurring on different segments of people, including businessmen, caste-based crimes... The state government has failed to provide security to the public...' Earlier today, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the Bihar government is unable to control law and order, with criminals becoming more brazen and citizens feeling unsafe. Addressing reporters in Patna, he questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the issue, asking if he will ever express concern or just deliver speeches. Yadav urged PM Modi to 'leave his teleprompter and speak his mind' about the situation in Bihar, suggesting that the Prime Minister is more focused on scripted speeches than addressing the state's real issues. The Bihar LoP described Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as being in an 'unconscious state' and unable to handle Bihar's administration, with the Prime Minister allegedly controlling the state remotely. He accused the Chief Minister of failing to take action against criminals, allowing them to thrive in the state, claiming that the government is protecting criminals, emboldening them to commit crimes, and that the situation in Bihar is 'terrifying.' 'Narendra Modi should leave his teleprompter and speak his mind. The situation in Bihar is terrifying... Why is PM Narendra Modi silent? Will he ever express his concern and grief, or just give speeches?... If he gets votes from here, is it his responsibility to provide security here or not? The Chief Minister is in an unconscious state. He is not able to handle Bihar. The Prime Minister is handling it through a remote control. Criminals have become 'samratth' in Bihar, they have won,' said the RJD leader. He pointed out that in the past six months, nine prominent businessmen have been murdered in Bihar, highlighting the state's failure to maintain law and order. Gopal Khemka, a businessman and a BJP leader from Bihar, was shot dead outside his home in Patna earlier this month. He had previously requested police protection for his family. Days after Khemka was shot dead, another man was killed in Patna's Ram Krishna Nagar area after being shot by an unidentified assailant. The victim, Vikram Jha, succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital. According to police, Jha was shot by a person who arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire. A murder case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. Jha, originally from Darbhanga district, had been living in Patna for a year and ran a grocery store. He lived with his family on the first floor of the same building. The reaction comes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections which are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date. While the NDA, consisting of the BJP, JD(U), and LJP, will once again be looking to continue their stint in Bihar, the INDIA bloc, consisting of the RJD, Congress, and left parties, will be looking to unseat Nitish Kumar. In the current Bihar Assembly of 243 members, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) consists of 131 with the BJP having 80 MLAs, JD(U)-45, HAM(S)-4, with the support of 2 Independent Candidates. The Opposition's INDIA Bloc has a strength of 111 members with RJD leading with 77 MLAs, Congress-19, CPI(ML)-11, CPI(M)-2 and CPI-2. (ANI)
