Bangladesh Court Issues Second Arrest Warrant For Ex-PM Sheikh Hasina

A court in Bangladesh has issued a second arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on charges of enforced disappearances during her rule, the chief prosecutor said on Monday. Dhaka has already issued an arrest warrant for Ms Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity.

According to Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a new warrant has been issued for Sheikh Hasina and 11 others, including her military adviser, military personnel, and other law enforcement officials.

He said that the court wanted to go ahead with the trial, and said, "We want to ensure the trial concludes as soon as possible, but that doesn't mean we will break the law or impose a verdict without due process."

Over 500 people were allegedly abducted by Bangladeshi security personnel during her reign, with some detained in secret facilities for years. Victims have begun coming forward since Hasina's ouster with harrowing accounts of their ordeals, according to a report by AFP.

The 77-year-old Hasina fled to India on August 5 after her regime was toppled by a student-led revolution. In December, Bangladesh asked India to send her back to face trial, a demand to which Delhi declined to respond.

Dozens of her 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 ouster after 15 years of iron-fisted rule.

First Arrest Warrant For Sheikh Hasina

In October 2024, a special court in Bangladesh issued arrest warrants for Ms Hasina and 45 others, on charges of crimes against humanity during a student-led uprising in July and August that forced her to flee the country.

Prosecutors said in the petitions that Ms Hasina, her close aides and security agencies were responsible for killing the protesters and others during violent demonstrations over government job quotas in which hundreds of people died. The tribunal's chief prosecutor, Muhammad Tajul Islam, earlier said they would seek help from Interpol, if necessary, to get Hasina back.

The Mohammad Yunus-led interim government has promised to try Ms Hasina and others in her administration for alleged crimes involving the uprising against her and has invited the United Nations to help investigate the killings. Ms Hasina also called for an investigation as she questioned the killings, saying many deaths may have involved others beyond security agencies.