New Delhi: Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued fresh arrest warrants against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 11 others for their alleged involvement in incidents of “enforced disappearances” during the tenure of the Awami League government. This is the second arrest warrant issued against Hasina, amid growing calls for her to face justice, particularly for “crimes against humanity” that allegedly took place during protests that led to her government’s fall in August last year. Meanwhile, the commission reinvestigating the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) massacre has suggested it may send a team to India to question Hasina.
The tribunal has ordered that the accused be arrested and presented before the court on February 12. However, the Bangladesh government is still awaiting a response from India over its December 23 request for Hasina’s extradition. The Indian government is yet to respond to the Bangladesh’s note verbale. While Dhaka has acknowledged that there is no timeframe set in the extradition treaty between the neighbours, it has repeatedly said that it will keep on pushing for Hasina’s return to Bangladesh.
2009 BDR massacre and Hasina’s role
Muhammad Tajul Islam, the chief prosecutor of the ICT has not disclosed the full list of accused during the hearing, but according to reports, former military officials are among those against whom arrest warrants have been issued. Tajul claimed that Hasina was directly involved in the disappearances. The tribunal has sought the assistance of Interpol in arresting Hasina.
The panel’s chief, Major General (retd) ALM Fazlur Rahman, said that consultations would be held to determine the legal feasibility of questioning Hasina in India over the 2009 massacre, a Times of India report mentioned. Rahman stressed that merely claiming foreign or local involvement in the BDR killings or implicating India was insufficient without solid evidence.
The 2009 BDR massacre saw soldiers from the Bangladesh Rifles (now the Border Guard Bangladesh) take control of their headquarters in Pilkhana, Dhaka. They killed 56 army officers and 17 civilians in the violent uprising. Rahman mentioned that Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India, is among those suspected of involvement in the massacre. He said the commission is considering requesting her extradition or sending a team to India to interrogate her, depending on what is legally permissible.
