DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court has issued an arrest warrant for exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August after being ousted from power by a student-led revolution.
Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam described the day as “remarkable,” while a relative of one of the many who died during the uprising against Hasina’s autocratic regime expressed eagerness for the trial to begin.
During her 15 years in power, Hasina’s administration was marked by widespread human rights violations, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of political opponents.
“The court has ordered the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her production in court on November 18,” said Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), to reporters.
He added, “Sheikh Hasina was responsible for massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity between July and August.”
The court also issued arrest warrants for Obaidul Quader, the fugitive former general secretary of Hasina’s Awami League party, along with 44 others whose names were not disclosed.
Following the collapse of Hasina’s regime, dozens of her allies were arrested, facing accusations related to a police crackdown that resulted in the deaths of over 700 people during the unrest. Several former cabinet ministers and high-ranking members of the Awami League party have also been detained, while Hasina’s appointees have been removed from the judiciary and central bank.
Hasina has not made a public appearance since her escape from Bangladesh by helicopter, with her last known location being a military airbase near New Delhi, India.
When asked about the arrest warrant, India’s foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal declined to comment, stating, “She had come at short notice for safety reasons, and she continues to be in India.”
Her presence in India, which was a key supporter of her government, has angered the interim administration in Bangladesh that succeeded her. Dhaka has revoked her diplomatic passport, and the two countries have a bilateral extradition treaty that could facilitate her return to facecriminal charges.