Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant for ex-leader Hasina

A Bangladeshi court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for exiled ex-leader Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August after she was toppled from power by a student-led revolution.

Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam called it a "remarkable day", while a relative of one of the hundreds who died in the uprising against her autocratic rule said they were "looking forward" to the trial.

Hasina's 15-year tenure saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.

"The court has... ordered the arrest of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and to produce her in court on November 18," Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told reporters.

"Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity in July to August," Islam said.

The court also issued an arrest warrant for Obaidul Quader, the fugitive former general secretary of Hasina's Awami League party, as well as 44 others, who were not named.

"The court has given one month," interim foreign minister Touhid Hossain told reporters.

"We will try to do everything to bring her back within this time."

Hossain did not say whether Bangladesh would lodge a formal request for Hasina's extradition with India.

Victims' families demand fair trial

Among those in court were family members of Sajib Sarkar, a medic killed in July during the protests against Hasina.

"We want the government to take the initiative to bring back the former prime minister as soon as possible and hold her accountable," his sister, Sumaiya Sarkar, told AFP. "We are looking forward to a fair trial."

The ICT is a deeply contentious war crimes court Hasina's government set up in 2010 to probe atrocities during the 1971 independence war from Pakistan.

Students and job seekers shouts slogans as they protest to ban quotas for government job at Shahbagh Square in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 3, 2024.Reuters

The United Nations and rights groups criticized its procedural shortcomings, and it became widely seen as a means for Hasina to eliminate political opponents.

Several cases accusing Hasina of orchestrating the "mass murder" of protesters are being probed by the court.

Hasina was replaced by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

The 84-year-old microfinance pioneer is leading a temporary administration, to tackle what he has called the "extremely tough" challenge of restoring democratic institutions.

Yunus said he had inherited a "completely broken down" system of public administration and justice that needs a comprehensive overhaul to prevent a future return to autocracy.