Second arrest warrant issued for Bangladesh’s exiled former leader Hasina

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court has issued a second arrest warrant for exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina, this time for her alleged role in enforced disappearances, the chief prosecutor said on Monday.

Dhaka had already issued an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity for the 77-year-old Hasina, who fled to India in August after she was ousted by a student-led revolution.

Her 15-year tenure was marked by widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.

Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), said the second warrant relates to enforced disappearances during her rule.

More than 500 people were allegedly abducted by Bangladeshi security personnel, with some detained in secret facilities for years. Victims have come forward since Hasina’s ouster, sharing harrowing accounts of their ordeals.

“The court issued a warrant against Sheikh Hasina and 11 others, including her military adviser, military personnel, and other law enforcement officials,” Islam told reporters.

Bangladesh requested India in December to extradite Hasina to face trial, but Delhi has yet to respond.

Islam added that the court was determined to proceed with the trial. “We want to ensure the trial concludes as soon as possible, but that doesn’t mean we will bypass the law or impose a verdict without due process,” he said.

Dozens of Hasina’s allies have been taken into custody since her government collapsed, accused of involvement in a police crackdown that killed more than 700 people during the unrest that led to her ousting.

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