Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
The trial of ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina began on Sunday at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka, with prosecutors delivering opening statements in a high-profile case linked to atrocities committed during last year’s July uprising.
Hasina stands accused alongside two of her top former aides—then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun—on charges including murder, torture, attempted murder, enforced disappearances, and other crimes against humanity.
The courtroom proceedings, broadcast live on Bangladesh Television (BTV), began around 10:30am with Chief Prosecutor Md Tajul Islam declaring, “No matter how powerful someone may be, no one is above the law. The absence of the accused will not obstruct the path of justice.” Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 last year, is being tried in absentia. The court confirmed an arrest warrant has been issued to her last known address.
Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman, in his remarks to the three-member tribunal led by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumder, called for the “maximum punishment” for the brutal crackdown. “This is not just about punishment—it’s about establishing justice for future generations,” he said, accusing the former regime of fostering a “culture of enforced disappearances, killings, extortion, and deception” under the banner of the Liberation War. “In a society of autocrats, Sheikh Hasina could be its president. Even Hitler might have sought her advice on earning a PhD in deception,” he added sharply, underscoring the prosecution’s tone.
Among the co-accused, former IGP Al-Mamun appeared before the tribunal on Sunday as a state witness in the case, while former home minister Kamal remains absconding. The tribunal is expected to hear testimony from victims, eyewitnesses, and public figures including Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, political analyst Badruddin Umar, and retired Lt. Colonel Hasinur Rahman.
Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim confirmed that the initial witnesses include those injured in the July–August protests. Over 500 formal complaints related to the movement have been lodged with the tribunal, with four trials already underway and investigations ongoing into 17 senior Awami League leaders, including Obaidul Quader.
The ICT proceedings mark a watershed moment in Bangladesh’s political transition, with the interim government framing the trial as a step toward justice, accountability, and reconciliation after decades of impunity.