A Bangladesh tribunal indicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday for her role in a violent crackdown against student-led protests. Mass murder charges were levelled against the ousted leader — with the prosecution accused Hasina of exercising absolute authority to ruthlessly suppress the uprising. The International Crimes Tribunal also issued a fresh arrest warrant against the Awami League chief and then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal.

An investigation report had reportedly found that Hasina “directly ordered” state security forces and her political party as well as affiliated groups to conduct operations that led to mass casualties. Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam cited video evidence and encrypted communications between various agencies to assert that the killings had been ‘planned’ during a televised hearing on Sunday. The case has listed 81 people as witnesses and prosecutors contend that Hasina bears command responsibility for security operations during the unrest as the head of government.

The chief prosecutor urged the court to treat the Awami League as a criminal organisation since the crimes were committed on a partisan basis. The interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus last month ordered the disbanding of the party until the trials of its leaders were completed. Under the ICT-BD law, if convicted, Hasina and the co-accused could face the death penalty.

Sheikh Hasina was ousted late last year following a student-led uprising that left more than a thousand people dead or injured. The violence continued even after the fall of the Awami League government as an interim administration took over under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus. According to an UN rights office report, some 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year. Most senior leaders and officials of Hasina’s party and government were subsequently arrested to face charges such as mass murder.

Sunday’s proceedings — the first time that ICT proceedings have been broadcast live on television — marked the start of Hasina’s trial in absentia nearly 10 months after the ouster of her government following the protests. The ICT-BD earlier issued an arrest warrant against Hasina while the interim government sought her repatriation from India in a diplomatic note. New Delhi has only acknowledged receipt with no further comment.

(With inputs from agencies)