The International Criminal Tribunal in Bangladesh has opened an investigation against Sheikh Hasina. (File)
Dhaka:
Bangladesh will take steps to extradite ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India to stand trial on charges of mass murder during the student-led mass movement against her government, the newly appointed chief prosecutor of the country's International Crimes Tribunal said on Sunday.
Following unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India.
Necessary steps will be taken to bring former Prime Minister Hasina back under the extradition treaty with India to try her on charges of mass murder during student-led protests in July and August, International Crimes Tribunal chief prosecutor Md Tajul Islam was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.
“We will file an application with the International Crimes Tribunal, when it resumes its functions, to issue arrest warrants against all the accused, including Sheikh Hasina, in connection with the cases filed for mass murder and crimes against humanity,” he told a press conference at the ICT premises in Dhaka.
Responding to a question, he said a decision would be taken after consultation with the government on amendments to the existing International Crimes Tribunal Act for holding trials of new cases brought before the ICTR.
“Information, documents and evidence against the accused will need to be collected from across the country and properly compiled, examined and presented before the court, which is a huge and very difficult task,” Islam added.
According to the caretaker government's health adviser, Nurjahan Begum, more than 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds injured during protests against the Hasina-led government.
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal last month launched an investigation against Hasina and nine others on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity that took place from July 15 to August 5 during the mass student movement.
Islam said the International Crimes Tribunal and its investigation team will have to be reconstituted by appointing new judges and investigators as the previous judges, prosecution team and investigation agency appointed by the previous government have resigned after the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed in the country following the fall of the Hasina-led government.
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