A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal set up by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has opened an investigation into its founder for three “mass murders” in connection with the unrest that forced him to flee the country, the investigator said on Monday.
During the month-long student-led protests against Hasina’s 15-year autocratic rule, more than 450 people died – most of them in police firing – before she became prime minister. resigned from the post and fled to India on August 5.
“We are gathering preliminary evidence at this stage,” Atta-ul-Rahman, deputy director of the tribunal’s investigation cell, said, adding that the cases were related to “mass murders”.
“After that, we will go to the crime scene,” Rahman told AFP.
He said all three cases were brought by private individuals, and several of Hasina’s former top aides have also been named in the cases.
These cases relate to violence in the suburbs or nearby districts of the capital Dhaka, Mirpur, Munshiganj, and Savar.
Also, according to local media reports, local police units across the country have registered at least 15 cases against Hasina.
Some relate to cases that predate the recent unrest, and the charges include murder and “crimes against humanity.”
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) was established by Hasina Wajid in 2010 to investigate atrocities committed against Pakistan during the country’s war of independence.
Under Hasina, the ICT executed more than 100 people, including many of her political opponents.
The court was often criticized by rights groups for not adhering to international conventions.
Hasina’s government was accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killings of thousands of her political opponents.
The United Nations said on Friday there were strong indications that Bangladeshi security forces used unnecessary force in dealing with the student-led uprising.