A Bangladeshi court on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in exile in India since August after being ousted by a student-led uprising.
Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam hailed the decision as a “significant day,” while relatives of those who died in the protests expressed hope for justice.
Hundreds of people were killed in the movement against Hasina’s authoritarian rule, which spanned 15 years and was marked by severe human rights violations, including the detention and extrajudicial killings of political rivals.
“The court has issued an arrest order for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, requiring her appearance in court by November 18,” Islam, the chief prosecutor at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), announced.
He also accused Hasina of being a key figure behind the mass killings and atrocities committed during July and August.
In addition to Hasina, the court ordered the arrest of Obaidul Quader, the former general secretary of the Awami League, and 44 others whose names were not disclosed.
After her government fell, many of Hasina’s associates were detained, accused of involvement in a police crackdown that left over 700 dead.
High-ranking officials from her Awami League party, including former ministers, have been arrested, and her appointees in the judiciary and central bank have been removed.
Since fleeing the country by helicopter, Sheikh Hasina has remained out of the public eye.
