A Bangladesh court has issued a second arrest warrant for the country’s exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina, this time for her alleged role in enforced disappearances, the chief prosecutor said on Monday.
Dhaka has already issued an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity against 77-year-old Hasina, who fled to India in August after being ousted in a student-led revolution. Her 15-year rule saw massive human rights violations, including mass detentions and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor at the domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), said the second warrant relates to enforced disappearances during her rule.
More than 500 people were allegedly abducted by Bangladesh’s security forces and some were held in secret prisons for years. Since Hasina’s ouster from power, victims have come forward to recount their ordeal. Islam told reporters:
“The court has issued arrest warrants for Sheikh Hasina and 11 others, including her military adviser, army personnel and other law enforcement officials.”
In December, Bangladesh had asked India to send Hasina back to face trial, to which New Delhi refused to respond. Islam said the court wants the trial to continue. He also said:
“We want the trial to conclude as soon as possible, but that does not mean we will violate the law or give a verdict without due process.”
Since the fall of Hasina’s government, dozens of her associates have been taken into custody on charges of involvement in a police crackdown that killed more than 700 people during the unrest that led to her ouster.
