by Our Correspondent in Dhaka
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 of Bangladesh will deliver its verdict on November 17 in the case against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and three other officials accused of crimes against humanity during the July uprising last year. The three-member tribunal, chaired by Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumdar and including Justice Md. Shafiul Alam Mahmud and Judge Md. Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury, set the date after concluding trial proceedings on October 23.
The case also implicates former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who later became an approver in the investigation. Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam submitted the complaint on June 1, outlining five counts of alleged crimes carried out by the defendants against unarmed students and civilians.
The first count accuses Hasina and her aides of murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhumane acts, alleging that they abetted and failed to prevent attacks by law enforcement and Awami League-affiliated armed groups following Hasina’s July 14 press briefing. Count two claims that Hasina ordered the extermination of student protesters using helicopters, drones, and firearms, with the former home minister and IGP facilitating the directives.
In count three, the prosecution charges the defendants with the murder of student Abu Sayed near Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur on July 16, alleging that law enforcement officers fired multiple rounds into the protester’s chest under the defendants’ orders. Count four relates to the shooting and killing of six unarmed protesters in Dhaka’s Chankharpul on August 5, while count five details the shooting and burning of six students in Ashulia the same day, five post-mortem and one reportedly alive.
The prosecution asserts that all five counts constitute crimes against humanity, including incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, torture, and murder, carried out systematically by the defendants and their subordinates. The tribunal is expected to hand down its long-awaited ruling next Monday, a decision that will likely carry profound legal and political implications for Bangladesh.
