Hasina, 107 others face investigation over mass killing

The ICT accepts digital data and information as evidence, but it requires forensic examinations before placing those before the tribunal

Nasir Khan during the student-people uprising. The photo was taken at Karwanbazar, Dhaka on 4 August 2025Ahsan Ullah

Investigation is underway against the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 107 others on allegations of involvement in killings and crimes against humanities during the July-August mass uprising. All of them face arrest warrants issued by the Intentional Crimes Tribunal (ICT), but only 34 accused could be arrested so far.

To date, 16 lawsuits have been filed with the ICT against those 108 people but no probe report has yet been filed. These cases are now in pre-trial phases; trial proceedings will start once the ICT accepts the probe report.

The interim government restructured the ICT on 14 October 2024, about two and a half months after the mass uprising toppled the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) government on 5 August that year.

The ICT is trying crimes against humanity including enforced disappearances, killings and massacres that occurred during the mass uprising and the tenure of the Awami League governments in over 15 years although the tribunal was formed to try crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

According to the sources at the office of the ICT’s chief prosecutor, about 300 allegations over crimes against humanities including enforced disappearances, killings and massacres occurred during the mass uprising and the 15 years of the Awami League rule have been brought to the tribunal so far and 16 cases were filed after verifying these allegations.

Three of those cases are over enforced disappearances while the remaining ones are over crimes against humanity committed during the mass uprising.

Sheikh Hasina faces two of those cases. She is accused of involvement in crimes against humanity that occurred during the mass uprising in a case and the probe report in it is likely to be filed on 18 February.

The office of the chief prosecutor thinks there is a lack of cooperation from the state to arrest these accused; the state must play a role in the matter

In another case, Sheikh Hasina faces allegations of involvement in enforced disappearances and a hearing will be held on 12 February.

ICT chief prosecutor Md Tajul Islam expressed that investigation of crimes against humanity is a vast and complex issue; those crimes were committed across the country, when Prothom Alo asked him regarding filing of no probe report yet.

According to him, there are plenty of witnesses and evidence. It takes a reasonable time to complete the investigation as per international standards.

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Stressing on maintaining cautiousness, he asserted, if the probe is done hastily, reports might have flaws, possibly allowing criminals to bypass the laws. People of the country should not be frustrated and should wait for a reasonable time.

Tajul hoped that probe reports would be filed in two or three cases by the end of February or the beginning of March.

Families of the martyred in the mass uprising, however, are not happy with the progress of the trial.

Student Imam Hasan Taim was killed in police firing in the capital’s Jatrabari. His brother Rabiul Islam told Prothom Alo they were being consoled by giving assurance that trials would take place, but trials did not see that much progress.

Sheikh Hasina
File Photo

Probe reports are lingering; accused are not being apprehended; so, if no satisfactory process happens in the trial they would take to streets soon, he added.

Imam Hasan, a 12th grader at Govt Adamjee Nagar MW College, Narayanganj, was the son of Md Moina Hossain Bhuiyan, who was a sub-inspector of the Rajarbagh Police Lines’ in the capital.

Discontent over arrest

The tribunal issues arrest warrants in both cases. The office of the chief prosecutor requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a red alert to arrest Sheikh Hasina, who is currently living in India. The government also requested India to extradite her to Bangladesh.

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Of the 34 people arrested so far in the cases with the ICT, 14 are former ministers, state ministers and advisers to the former prime minister.

They are – Anisul Huq, Salman F Rahman, Amir Hossain Amu, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasanul Haque Inu, Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Faruk Khan, Shahjahan Khan, Abdur Razzaque, Dipu Moni, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Quamrul Islam, Zunaid Ahmed and Kamal Ahmed Majumder.

Eighteen of the arrestees are former members of the law enforcement agencies. They are Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, Ziaul Ahsan, Mohiuddin Farooqui, Jasim Uddin Molla, Abdullahil Kafi, Mainul Islam, Alep Uddin, Md Shahidul Islam, Tanzil Ahmed, Abul Hasan, Md Mazharul Islam, Md Arafat Hossain, Mohammad Arshad Hossain, Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, Mohammad Sujan Hossain, Mukul Chokder, Hossain Ali and Akram.

Retired Appellate Division justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and former senior secretary Jahangir Alam are also among the arrested.

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During the hearings, the tribunal expressed discontent over not arresting the remaining accused. The ICT on 30 January also instructed people concerned to take action against any member of law enforcement agencies not cooperating in the arrest of the accused.

Once the tribunal issues a warrant for arrest, the inspector general of police (IGP) is responsible for executing the warrant. That is why several prosecutors think the responsibility also falls on the government for not arresting the remaining accused.

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People concerned said a major portion of the accused facing arrest warrants is at large. Former ministers Obaidul Quader, Hasan Mahmud, Asaduzzaman Khan and Mohammad A Arafat are among them.

The office of the chief prosecutor thinks there is a lack of cooperation from the state to arrest these accused; the state must play a role in the matter. Currently, the main challenge is to extradite the accused who have fled aboard, as well as to arrest the perpetrators hiding within the country.

Emphasis on digital footprints

Digital data and information including audio, video and images are getting the most importance in the tribunal’s investigation because there are plentiful digital footprints of crimes against humanity, committed during the mass uprising. ICT’s prosecution office and investigating agency have already collected much data and evidence.

It has been learned that many digital data and evidence from July and August were erased from the government office, but it has been possible to recover many things and forensic analysis of all digital data and information is underway.

Pointing out that there is neither trained people nor a specialised department in the country to investigate critical crimes, including the crimes against humanity, the retired justice stated that maybe that is why the investigation and trial process could not develop here as has been expected

The ICT accepts digital data and information as evidence, but it requires forensic examinations before placing those before the tribunal. The office of the chief prosecutor took permission from the tribunal to verify digital data and information through the police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

People concerned say they have been analysing the digital data and information to learn how the directives from the highest leaderships were implemented at the field level.

Besides this, the investigation officials of the prosecution office and the prosecutors have been visiting the crime scenes, taking interviews of the injured and the relatives of the victims. The accused are also being interrogated and other documents are being checked.

Some of the prosecutors think it will not be tough to present the data and evidence to prove the crimes committed against humanity as the incidents took place recently during the mass uprising, many injured are still undergoing treatment at hospitals, many of the victims of enforced disappearances have returned; besides, there are witnesses, families of the victims and accused.

Capacities and challenges

There are a total of 14 prosecutors working for the Tribunal under the leadership of chief prosecutor Tajul Islam. Apart from them, there are 17 officers working as the investigation officers under the leadership of chief investigation officer Mazharul Haque.

There have been questions as to how properly the investigation and trial proceedings of crimes committed against humanity across the country could be conducted with those 31 prosecutors and investigation officers.

Speaking about this, chief prosecutor Tajul Islam acknowledged to Prothom Alo that there are shortages of human resources and other necessary equipment.

He, however, expressed his contentment with the advances made in their works in comparison to the magnitude of crimes.

It would have been possible to work faster if the capacities were increased, he added.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is a three-member special court constituted with justice Md Golam Mortuza Mazumder as its head. Two other members of the tribunal are justice Md Shafiul Alam Mahmud and justice Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.

Speaking about the trial of the crimes committed against humanity during the mass uprising, Appellate Division’s retired justice Md Abdul Matin told Prothom Alo both trials done hastily and in a delayed manner kills justice. That is why it has to take the middle path.

Pointing out that there is neither trained people nor a specialised department in the country to investigate critical crimes, including the crimes against humanity, the retired justice stated that maybe that is why the investigation and trial process could not develop here as has been expected.