'Directly ordered killings': Sheikh Hasina charged in Bangladesh’s first live war crimes hearing
The UN estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, as Hasina’s government moved forcefully to quell protests that began as a student-led movement opposing public sector job quotas.
- Jun 1, 2025,
- Updated Jun 1, 2025 2:46 PM IST
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been formally charged with crimes against humanity for allegedly orchestrating mass killings during last year’s deadly crackdown on a nationwide uprising. The explosive indictment was read out Sunday during a live broadcast of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) proceedings—a first in Bangladesh’s history.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam stated that the 2024 violence was “planned and coordinated,” not spontaneous. “The accused unleashed all law enforcement agencies and her armed party members to crush the uprising,” he said. “Upon scrutinising the evidence, we reached the conclusion that it was a coordinated, widespread and systematic attack.”
The UN estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, as Hasina’s government moved forcefully to quell protests that began as a student-led movement opposing public sector job quotas. The unrest quickly escalated into one of the most violent episodes in Bangladesh since its 1971 independence.
Hasina fled to India shortly after the crackdown. Now living in self-imposed exile, she has dismissed the charges as “politically driven.”
Also indicted are former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who is currently in custody but did not appear in court, and ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who is reportedly in hiding.
“This is not an act of vendetta, but a commitment to the principle that, in a democratic country, there is no room for crimes against humanity,” Islam said.
The case marks a turning point for the ICT, with investigators presenting evidence that includes phone recordings, drone logs, helicopter flight data, and survivor testimony.
Separately, the court opened its first related trial on May 25, charging eight police officers in connection with the killing of six protesters on August 5—the day Hasina fled. Four are in custody, while the rest are being tried in absentia.
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been formally charged with crimes against humanity for allegedly orchestrating mass killings during last year’s deadly crackdown on a nationwide uprising. The explosive indictment was read out Sunday during a live broadcast of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) proceedings—a first in Bangladesh’s history.
Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam stated that the 2024 violence was “planned and coordinated,” not spontaneous. “The accused unleashed all law enforcement agencies and her armed party members to crush the uprising,” he said. “Upon scrutinising the evidence, we reached the conclusion that it was a coordinated, widespread and systematic attack.”
The UN estimates that up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, as Hasina’s government moved forcefully to quell protests that began as a student-led movement opposing public sector job quotas. The unrest quickly escalated into one of the most violent episodes in Bangladesh since its 1971 independence.
Hasina fled to India shortly after the crackdown. Now living in self-imposed exile, she has dismissed the charges as “politically driven.”
Also indicted are former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who is currently in custody but did not appear in court, and ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who is reportedly in hiding.
“This is not an act of vendetta, but a commitment to the principle that, in a democratic country, there is no room for crimes against humanity,” Islam said.
The case marks a turning point for the ICT, with investigators presenting evidence that includes phone recordings, drone logs, helicopter flight data, and survivor testimony.
Separately, the court opened its first related trial on May 25, charging eight police officers in connection with the killing of six protesters on August 5—the day Hasina fled. Four are in custody, while the rest are being tried in absentia.