Zakir Hossain in Dhaka
Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus has said that ousted PM Sheikh Hasina will stand trial for crimes against humanity, whether in person or in absentia. Speaking to British news channel Sky News, Yunus stated, “A trial will be taking place. Not only her, but also all the people who are associated with her—her family members, her clients, or associates.”
Hasina, currently in exile in India after being toppled by mass protests on August 5 last year, is accused of overseeing a network of secret detention centers where political opponents were allegedly interrogated, tortured, and killed. The Bangladesh tribunal has issued two arrest warrants for her, but Yunus noted that formal letters to New Delhi have received “no official response.”
Describing his visit to one of these secret jails, code-named the ‘House of Mirrors’, Yunus remarked, “This is just the ugliest thing that you can see, you can feel, or you can observe.” He stated that the scale of involvement in these crimes was vast: “The whole government was involved in it. So, you cannot distinguish who was really and enthusiastically doing it, who was doing it under orders, and who was not quite supportive but still carrying them out.”
The UN estimates that as many as 1,400 people were killed in the July-August crackdown before Hasina fled. Yunus acknowledged the challenges of delivering swift justice, saying, “Some will get punished, some will still be under the process, some will still be untraceable.”
Corruption Investigations: Since taking office, Yunus has also been overseeing anti-corruption probes linked to Hasina’s government. Among those under investigation is British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, Hasina’s niece. Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is looking into significant wealth left behind in the country. “The case against her is serious,” Yunus stated.
Siddiq, who resigned as the UK’s anti-corruption minister in January, denies the allegations. Rohingya Crisis: The influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar remains a pressing issue. Yunus said that Bangladesh is in talks with rebel groups in Myanmar to establish a “safe zone” for refugee repatriation. He also highlighted the worsening conditions in Cox’s Bazar, home to the world’s largest refugee camp, where “violence, drugs, and paramilitary activities” are rampant. “The tension will not disappear,” he admitted.