Sheikh Hasina cannot be tried before Bangladesh courts reform: UN rights chief

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina can only be put on the stand after the country reforms its judicial system to ensure a free and fair trial, UN rights chief Volker Turk said Wednesday.

Hasina was ousted from power in August and has since been living in India. Her government was overthrown after a popular student uprising which led to the death of many. Dozens of her loyalists have since been detained and some are being probed by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

“If you look at the ICT, both in how the law was constructed and how the tribunal was set up, there are compliance issues with international rights standards,” Turk told reporters in Dhaka.

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“These issues must be addressed to ensure fair trials and due process. Reform is crucial.”

Earlier this month, the ICT issued an arrest warrant for Hasina over the mass killings of student protestors in July and August.

Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal said, “The court has… ordered the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and to produce her in court on November 18.”

The prosecution also requested arrest warrants against 50 other individuals allegedly involved in the mass killings during the student protests against the Hasina-led Awami League government.

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Yunus announces creation of reforms commission

Last month, the chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government Muhammad Yunus announced the creation of six commissions headed by eminent citizens of the country.

These commissions are tasked with suggesting changes in six key sectors including the constitution, the electoral system, the judiciary, the police, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and public administration.

He said that Bangladesh now had a chance to entrench meaningful reforms and repair institutions that had been degraded by years of autocratic rule.

“There are real opportunities, and certainly high expectations, for fundamental change for the better,” Turk said.

With inputs from agencies