Arrest warrant issued for exiled former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

A Bangladeshi court issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted from power in August following widespread student protests in the country, according to news agency AFP.

“The court has mandated the arrest of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ordered her to appear in court on November 18,” stated Mohammad Tajul Islam, the chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal. 

The former Prime Minister has fled to India and has not been seen publicly since her departure from Bangladesh. Her last known location was at a military airbase close to India’s capital, New Delhi.

According to the news agency, the arrest warrant was issued against Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity. During her 15 years in power, there were numerous reports of significant human rights violations, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political rivals.

“Sheikh Hasina was among those responsible for the massacres, killings, and crimes against humanity that occurred from July to August,” Islam added.

Arrest Warrant Issued for Another Ally of Hasina

The court has also issued an arrest warrant for Obaidul Quader, the former general secretary of Hasina’s Awami League party, along with 44 unnamed individuals.

Following the collapse of Hasina’s regime, numerous allies were taken into custody, facing accusations related to a police crackdown that resulted in the deaths of over 700 individuals during the unrest that led to her removal.

Several former cabinet ministers and senior members of the Awami League have been arrested, and her government’s appointees have been removed from positions in the courts and the central bank.