Police personnel escort Zunaid Ahmed Palak (C), the former junior Information Technology Minister, to Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) court in Dhaka. Photo: AFP
Thirteen Bangladeshi former top government officials arrested after the revolution in August appeared in court on Monday, accused of "enabling massacres", with prosecutors reiterating extradition demands for exiled ex-leader Sheikh Hasina. Numerous allies of Hasina have been detained since her regime collapsed, facing accusations of involvement in a police crackdown that resulted in the deaths of over 700 people during the unrest that led to her ouster.
Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam stated that the 13 defendants, which included 11 former ministers, a judge, and an ex-government secretary, were charged with command responsibility for the deadly crackdown on the student-led protest that led to the regime's downfall. Hasina, who fled to old ally India by helicopter on August 5, was also scheduled to appear in court in Dhaka on Monday to face charges of "massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity", but she remains at large in exile.
"We have presented 13 defendants today, including 11 former ministers, a bureaucrat, and a judge," Islam, the chief prosecutor of Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, informed reporters. "They are complicit in enabling massacres by participating in planning, inciting violence, ordering law enforcement officers to shoot on sight, and obstructing efforts to prevent a genocide." Approximately half a dozen lawyers supported the defendants, who were escorted from custody into court, surrounded by a ring of security forces to keep them separate from the large crowd outside.
Hasina's 15-year tenure was marked by widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. The charges against the 13 are currently limited to the police crackdown on student-led protests, but Islam requested additional time to compile evidence stretching back further. "The crimes that led to mass murders and genocide have occurred over the past 16 years across the country," he told reporters. The court granted prosecutors until December 17 to submit their investigation report.
The defendants listened to the charges read to them but were not yet asked to enter a plea. At one point, former industry minister Kamal Ahmed Majumdar stood up and spoke, appealing to the judge that he wanted "to say something", as an AFP reporter in the court observed. He was not permitted to speak further. Other notable figures in court included the once-powerful ex-law minister Anisul Huq, former Supreme Court judge Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik, and former energy adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury. Former social affairs minister Dipu Moni is the only woman among the 13.
Islam stated that efforts are being made to bring 77-year-old Hasina to Dhaka for trial, following interim leader Muhammad Yunus's announcement that Bangladesh was seeking her extradition. Islam revealed that they had contacted Interpol "seeking assistance in arresting her, as she has committed crimes against humanity". Red notices issued by the global police body alert law enforcement agencies worldwide about fugitives. India, a member of Interpol, is not obligated to comply with the red notice as each country applies its own laws regarding arrests.
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