Bangladesh’s deposed premier Sheikh Hasina was formally indicted in absentia on Thursday in a crimes against humanity case by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal.
The special tribunal has set August 3 as the start date for the trial.
“The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT-BD) has framed the charge against her (Hasina) alongside the home minister of her regime Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and (the then) inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun,” a prosecution lawyer said during a media briefing.
The three were indicted for their alleged attempts to suppress the student-led protests that took place between July and August last year.
Prosecutors said Hasina has also been accused of mass killings, murder, and torture in an effort to quell the uprising.
Mamun, the only accused to appear in person, pleaded guilty when produced before the tribunal from custody, prosecutors added.
Hasina’s Awami League government was ousted during the violent movement led by Students Against Discrimination (SAD) on August 5, 2024, after which she fled to India aboard a military aircraft.