Sheikh Hasina ordered to return for trial as Bangladesh tribunal pursues crimes against humanity charges

Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal on Monday ordered former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to return and stand trial on charges constituting crimes against humanity.

Hasina, 77, fled Dhaka for India by helicopter in August 2024 amid a massive student-led uprising. She has since refused to comply with an extradition request from Bangladeshi authorities.

According to United Nations estimates, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 during a violent crackdown by Hasina’s government in an unsuccessful attempt to retain power.

Hasina, along with former top officials from her now-banned Awami League party, is being prosecuted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

According to an NDTV report, prosecutors have brought five key charges against her, including abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to prevent mass killings — all of which are categorised as crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.

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“The court directed the prosecution team to issue a notice as soon as possible summoning them to appear before the court,” NDTV quoted chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam as saying on Monday.

The trial is set to resume on June 24 and will proceed in Sheikh Hasina’s absence if she fails to return.

Prosecutors allege that Hasina issued orders through the interior ministry and police to violently suppress the mass protests.

She is being tried alongside two former senior officials. One of them, ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, faces similar charges and remains a fugitive. The other, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, is in custody and appeared in court on Monday.

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The prosecution of top officials from Hasina’s administration has become a central demand of several political parties now vying for influence.

The interim government has announced plans to hold national elections in April 2026, though some political groups are calling for an earlier vote.

With inputs from agencies