A Bangladeshi court has issued a second arrest warrant for exiled former leader Sheikh Hasina. This time for her alleged role in enforced disappearances, according to chief prosecutor Tajul Islam. Dhaka had already issued an arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity for the 77-year-old Hasina. Hasina, who fled to India in August after being toppled by a student-led revolution.
Hasina’s 15-year tenure saw widespread human rights abuses, including mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. The second warrant relates to enforced disappearances during her rule, with more than 500 people allegedly abducted by Bangladeshi security personnel and detained in secret facilities for years.
Since Hasina’s ouster, victims have begun coming forward with 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.
Extradition Request for Sheikh Hasina
In December, Bangladesh asked India to send Hasina back to face trial, but Delhi declined to respond. Islam emphasized the court’s intention to proceed with the trial, stating, “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.”
Authorities have taken dozens of Hasina’s allies into custody since her government collapsed, accusing them of involvement in a police crackdown that killed more than 700 people during the unrest leading to her ouster.
