Bangladesh's Former Prime Minister Indicted for Crimes Against Humanity

A special tribunal in Bangladesh indicted ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday for crimes against humanity related to a mass uprising where hundreds of students were killed. Hasina, along with former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, are facing five charges. Hasina and Khan are being tried in absentia. The trial began on June 5, and Hasina, who has been in exile in India since August 5, has not responded to the tribunal's summons. The interim government has requested India to extradite Hasina, but there has been no response. Al-Mamun, who appeared before the tribunal, pleaded guilty and expressed willingness to testify against others as a state witness.

The prosecution presented a leaked audio recording and other documents as evidence. The tribunal rejected a petition to drop Hasina and Khan from the case. The trial is set to continue with the prosecution's opening statement on August 3 and witness statements on August 4. The Awami League criticized the trial process, accusing the administration of manipulating the judiciary. The charges against Hasina allege her direct involvement in ordering actions that led to mass killings, injuries, violence against women and children, and denial of medical treatment to the wounded.

The interim government has banned the Awami League party and amended laws to prosecute the former ruling party for its role in the uprising. In a separate case, Hasina was sentenced to six months in jail for contempt of court. The tribunal, established in 2009 by Hasina, has been investigating crimes related to Bangladesh's independence war in 1971.