Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A prosecutor at a special domestic tribunal in Bangladesh sought the death penalty on Thursday for the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina The case involves allegations of crimes against humanity in a mass uprising last year that forced him to flee the country.
Hundreds of people, including students, security officials and political activists, were killed in week-long violence during protests in July and August 2024.
Chief prosecutor Tajul Islam delivered his closing arguments at the International Criminal Tribunal in the capital, saying: DhakaAlso called for the death penalty for former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan due to the seriousness of his crimes.
In his closing remarks, the prosecutor left the decision on the sentencing of former police chief Chaudhry Abdullah al-Mamoun to the tribunal. Al-Mamun, who is in custody, turned government witness against Hasina and had earlier confessed to the crime.
Hasina is in exile India After fleeing the country since August 5 last year. It is believed that Khan is also in India.
More proceedings are needed to complete the trial before a verdict can be delivered.
Hasina had not hired a lawyer to represent her, and she had previously dismissed the trial process as a “kangaroo court”.
The next proceedings will take place on Monday. The state-appointed lawyer for Hasina has sought a week’s time to present his arguments.
Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus Took over as head of the interim government three days after the fall of Hasina. Yunus vowed to punish Hasina and banned the activities of her Awami League party.
In his arguments, Islam called Hasina the “mastermind and principal architect” behind crimes against humanity committed during the insurgency.
The United Nations said in a February report that 1,400 people may have been killed in the violence, while the country’s health adviser under the interim government said more than 800 were killed and about 14,000 were injured.
Hasina and her party have raised questions on the figures and demanded an independent investigation.
Citing UN figures, Islam said on Thursday that if each of the 1,400 deaths was to be punished separately, Hasina should receive 1,400 death sentences.
He told the tribunal that Hasina had “personally ordered the killings.”
No immediate reaction was available from Hasina’s party.
Thursday’s developments come as tensions rise in Bangladeshi politics over the indictments of 25 former and serving military officers, including some former heads of a powerful military intelligence unit.
He has been convicted in three separate cases involving forced disappearances during Hasina’s 15-year rule.
The army said on Sunday that 15 officers were detained and kept in a jail inside Dhaka Cantonment, where the army headquarters is located.
Many suspected officials are believed to have left the country.
Yunus has repeatedly said that elections will be held in February to hand over power to a democratically elected government. Hasina’s Awami League party is unlikely to join the race as its activities are banned.