A case has been registered in the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) against former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and others for committing genocide and crimes against humanity. It has been alleged that Sheikh Hasina’s government had committed genocide and crimes against humanity during the students’ movement.
An agency official said that this complaint has been filed by the father of one of the students whose son was killed by police bullets during the protest. A Supreme Court lawyer has filed a case on behalf of Bulbul Kabir, father of Class 9 student Arif Ahmed Siam, who was shot by police during a protest on August 5.
The agency’s deputy director Ataur Rehman told The Daily Star newspaper that we have registered a complaint and thus the investigation into the matter has started. He said that after the completion of the investigation, we will submit the report to the Chief Prosecutor Office of the Tribunal for further proceedings.
Government news agency BSS reported that Sheikh Hasina and several people have been accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in the complaint. The complaint came a day after the interim government said killings committed between July 1 and August 5 would be tried by the International Criminal Tribunal.
The complaint has accused Sheikh Hasina and people of carrying out mass killings between July 15 and August 5, the official said, adding that students and others killed during this period will also be covered by the complaint. As per the procedure, the agency will have to investigate the complaints and register the case before the ICT.
The complaint names Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League general secretary and former road transport minister Obaidul Quader, former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, former information and broadcasting minister Mohammad Ali Arafat, former ICT affairs minister Junaid Ahmed Palak and dismissed police chief Chaudhry Abdullah Al Mamun. Including many senior police officers.
The state-run BSS news agency quoted legal advisor Dr. Asif Nazrul as saying that the interim government has prepared to investigate these incidents under the supervision of the United Nations. The killings, committed between July 1 and August 5, will be tried by the International Criminal Tribunal.