Bangladesh court orders probe report on ex-PM Hasina by Dec 17

The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal on Monday asked its investigation body to complete the probe against ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and submit a report by Dec. 17 in cases related to genocide and crimes against humanity.

The local court conducted its proceedings in the absence of Hasina as she fled the country on Aug. 5 after bloody protests that claimed hundreds of lives.

Earlier the court set Nov. 18 for Hasina and 45 members of her Cabinet and other top officials to appear in a separate case on similar charges.

Of them, 13 arrested officials, including nine ministers, were produced before the court for the first time.

Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam on Monday said the 13 defendants, who included 11 former ministers, a judge and an ex-government secretary, were accused of command responsibility for the deadly crackdown on the student-led protest that toppled the regime.

Hasina’s nearly 16-year tenure saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.

“The crimes that led to mass murders and genocide have occurred over the past 16 years across the country,” said Islam.

The court later ordered authorities to submit an investigation report by next month (Dec. 17), the chief prosecutor of the court, Mohammad Tajul Islam, told media after the court hearing.

He said they have already written to the country’s police chief to request Interpol to issue a red warrant to arrest Hasina as she “has gone out of the court jurisdiction.”

He also said that the government would work on all other available options, including the bilateral extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India.

India and Bangladesh have a bilateral extradition treaty.

Earlier on Sunday, Bangladesh transitional government head Muhammad Yunus in a televised address to the nation, marking his first 100 days in office, said that his government will ask India to extradite former Prime Minister Hasina.

Hasina fled India on Aug. 5 in the face of massive protests in July and August. Following her departure, Nobel laureate Yunus took office on Aug. 8.

During the protests, around 1,500 people were killed and 19,931 others injured, Yunus said in his address.