B’desh’s Hasina indicted over deaths of protesters

A special tribunal indicted Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday by accepting charges of crimes against humanity filed against her in connection with a mass uprising in which hundreds of students were Killed last year.

- Associated Press

A three-member panel, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, indicted Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun on five charges. Hasina and Khan are being tried in absentia.

The tribunal opened the trial June 5 and asked Hasina to appear. Authorities published newspaper advertisements asking Hasina, who has been in exile in India, and Khan to appear before the tribunal.

Hasina has been in exile since August 5. Bangladesh’s interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, sent a formal request to India for Hasina’s extradition but India has not responded. Khan is possibly also in India.

Al-Mamun was arrested and was in the dock on Thursday while the judges indicted them. Al-Mamun pleaded guilty and told the tribunal that he would make a statement in favour of the prosecution ata later stage.