A file image of ex-PM of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. (Photo: PTI)
The irony is palpable – Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) was constituted by the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman regime to prosecute war crimes from the country’s 1971 Liberation War, and this same body is now prosecuting his daughter for “crimes against humanity”! The trial of the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has begun in absentia, with the alleged victims of her repressive actions testifying against her.
The trial is also against two of her associates – former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullaah Al Mamun. Hasina had fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year amid escalating unrest and is currently residing in India, a course of action emulated by Kamal, who is currently sheltering with her in the neighbouring nation.
On the other hand, Mamun had been arrested in Bangladesh itself after the collapse of the earlier government, but is trying to save his skin by turning approver for the current regime. In a situation of gradual change, Hasina and her Awami League government had first come to power in June 1996 with huge popular support.
But the political scenario of Bangladesh being convoluted, given the presence of Khaleda Zia and her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and powerful Islamic groups, some of which are aligned to radical entities, she found herself in trouble in the course of time.
Indubitably, coerced by circumstances and the pitfalls she had to circumnavigate, Hasina, towards the end of her final term, did turn somewhat dictatorial and engaged in violent action against her opponents. Allegedly, over 1,400 people were killed between July and August last year as her government ordered a security crackdown on student protesters opposing Bangladesh’s job-reservation system.
The ICT commenced the proceedings against Hasina and her co-accused on several charges, with the major one being killings and torture during the Students Against Discrimination (SAD)-led violent street campaign that eventually toppled her Awami League government on August 5, 2024. The interim government-appointed Chief Prosecutor, Tajul Islam, in his opening statement, described Hasina as the “nucleus of all crimes” and called for the maximum penalty.
However, whatever be the judgment of this trial, because it is being held in absentia, it is doubtful if Hasina would ever have to face any punitive measures. It may be noted that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has sought Hasina’s extradition, but India is yet to respond to the request.
There is little likelihood that India will ever terminate her asylum and send her back to Bangladesh, considering that the students who had been responsible for her removal are steadily losing control and the pro-Pakistan BNP and radical forces are taking over.