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Bangladesh's Ex-PM Hasina Denies Crimes Against Humanity in Trial in Absentia
Fugitive ex-PM Sheikh Hasina denies crimes against humanity charges over 2023 protest crackdown. Trial in absentia begins in Dhaka; prosecutors allege 1,400 killed. Awami League slams it as a "show trial."
ND
by News Desk
2025-07-01
Bangladesh's Ex-PM Hasina Denies Crimes Against Humanity in Trial in Absentia

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now a fugitive, has denied all charges of crimes against humanity filed against her in a trial in absentia, her state-appointed defence attorney confirmed Tuesday.

The charges stem from a violent government crackdown on a student-led uprising between July and August 2024, during which the United Nations estimates at least 1,400 people were killed. Hasina fled to India in the wake of the protests and has refused to return to face the charges in Dhaka, where the trial began on June 1.

The prosecution has leveled five charges against Hasina — abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to prevent mass murder — all of which constitute crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.

“She denies all charges,” said Amir Hossain, her court-appointed lawyer. “We will present arguments to seek her discharge from these allegations.”

The Awami League, Hasina’s now-banned political party, issued a statement from London, calling the trial a "show trial" and claiming the accusations are politically motivated.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam, however, insists that Hasina was obsessed with retaining power at all costs, accusing her of inciting violence, ordering the use of lethal weapons, and even deploying armed helicopters during the crackdown.

“Her obsession is rooted in a desire to glorify her father’s legacy at the expense of the nation,” Islam said, referring to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding president.

Prosecutors say Hasina holds command responsibility for several deadly incidents, including:

·       The murder of 23-year-old student Abu Sayeed,

·       The killing of six people in Chankharpul, and

·       The burning deaths of six others in Ashulia, a suburb of Dhaka.

Hasina is being tried alongside two former officials:

·       Ex-Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, also a fugitive, and

·       Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, who is currently in custody.

The court is expected to begin hearing detailed witness testimony and evidence files in the coming weeks, amid mounting domestic and international scrutiny over judicial independence in the politically volatile nation.

 
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