The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has ordered the production of 20 individuals, including 10 former ministers and two advisors to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, before the court on November 18. This directive is related to crimes against humanity and genocide during the July-August uprising, according to a report by The Daily Star.
Among those summoned are Anisul Huq, Abdur Razzaque, Faruk Khan, Dipu Moni, Shajahan Khan, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Kamal Ahmed Majumdar, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Salman F Rahman, Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Rashed Khan Menon, and Hasanul Haq Inu.
The three-member tribunal, chaired by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar, issued the orders after the prosecution submitted two petitions for their arrest, as stated by BM Sultan Mahmud, a prosecutor for the ICT. Mahmud confirmed that November 18 has been designated for the procedural hearing of the 20 individuals accused of crimes against humanity and genocide.
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Previously, on October 17, the ICT had issued arrest warrants for Hasina and 45 other senior Awami League leaders, including former ministers and officials. Over 60 complaints of crimes against humanity and genocide have been filed against former PM Sheikh Hasina and several members of her party with the ICT investigation agency. The investigation agency and the prosecution team have initiated probes into these complaints, as reported by The Daily Star. The government is also working on a draft to amend the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act-1973.
On August 31, Bangladesh’s interim government’s foreign affairs advisor, Mohammed Touhid Hossain, indicated that as cases against Sheikh Hasina accumulate, the country might consider seeking her extradition. However, he cautioned that this could create an “embarrassing situation for the Indian government.”
Notably, Sheikh Hasina resigned from her position as Prime Minister on August 5 and fled to India in a military aircraft amid growing protests against the controversial government job quota system that had triggered widespread anti-government demonstrations. Following her resignation, a caretaker government was established in Bangladesh, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
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