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A court in Bangladesh has issued arrest warrants against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and dozens of her close aides on charges of “crimes against humanity”.
The charges relate to her government’s violent crackdown on student protesters who ultimately overthrew her administration.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka issued warrants against Ms Hasina and 45 aides and ordered her to appear in court on 18 November.
Prosecutor BM Sultan Mahmud said the head of the tribunal, Golam Mortuza Majumdar, issued the orders in the presence of other judges.
Ms Hasina fled to India on a military plane on 5 August as angry protesters stormed her Dhaka residence, ending her 15-year-long rule.
“Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity from July to August,” said Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the tribunal.
The student protests began with calls to end a controversial quota system for government jobs, and swelled into general calls for Ms Hasina to resign as police killed hundreds of young demonstrators.
More than 600 protesters were killed during the demonstrations that began in July and continued until after she fled and a new interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in.
Ms Hasina has been named as a suspect in police complaints for more 100 murder cases. The tribunal on Thursday heard two petitions. One was against Ms Hasina alone and another was against 45 people including her close aides.
Prosecutors requested arrest warrants for 50 individuals during the proceedings.
“I appealed to the court that if the accused, who are extremely influential, are not arrested, it will be impossible to conduct the investigation,” Mr Islam said.
Ms Hasina has maintained a low profile during her stay in India, a country with whom her government enjoyed close ties, although New Delhi has said she will not be granted permanent political asylum. She has refrained from giving interviews since fleeing Dhaka, and only released a long statement urging justice for the deaths of students and calling the crackdown “acts of sabotage”.
It is not clear if India will respond to any request from Bangladesh for Ms Hasina’s extradition under a mutual treaty.
However, her son Sajeeb Wazed told Reuters last month that his mother was ready to face trial in Bangladesh, saying: “My mother has done nothing wrong.”
Mr Islam earlier said prosecutors would seek help from Interpol, if necessary, to get Ms Hasina back in Dhaka.
