B’desh: Arrest warrants issued for Hasina, others in enforced disappearance cases

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Dhaka: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal （ICT） on Wednesday issued arrest warrants against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other senior officials of security forces over alleged enforced disappearances during the previous Awami League government, local media reported. Earlier in the day, two formal charges were submitted by the ICT prosecution against Hasina and her security and defence advisor, Tarique Ahmed Siddique. According to the prosecution, one of the formal charges accuses Hasina, Tarique, and 15 others, including former top officials of Rapid Action Battalion, with five counts of enforced disappearances and torture conducted at the Task Force for Interrogation （TFI） Cell. In another formal charge, five charges were filed against 13 people, including Hasina and Tarique, on alleged enforced disappearances and torture at the Joint Interrogation Cell （JIC）, reports Bangladesh’s leading Bengali daily, Jugantor. Additionally, several former officials of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence （DGFI）, including lieutenant generals and major generals, were named in the case. Formal charges were also submitted against Border Guard Bangladesh （BGB） officer Lt Col Redwan Ahmed and three others for alleged involvement in Rampura killings during last year’s July demonstrations. These latest developments come amid the ongoing crackdown on Awami League leaders, along with the party’s supporters, under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. Earlier on Tuesday, the ICT’s investigative agency launched a formal investigation into the Awami League as a political party over alleged charges of crimes against humanity during the July protests, the local media reported. Confirming the development, the tribunal’s Chief Prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Islam, told reporters on Tuesday that an investigation officer has already been appointed. The announcement followed the Chief Prosecutor’s remark during a press briefing on October 5, where he had hinted at the beginning of a formal investigation into the Awami League. Analysts reckon the developments as a major political vendetta being pursued by the Yunus regime, as several cases were filed against the former Prime Minister Hasina, her party members and the working officials during her tenure on frivolous grounds immediately following her ouster in August 2024. IANS