Mon Jan 06 16:57:40 UTC 2025: ## Bangladesh Issues Arrest Warrant for Ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

**DHAKA, BANGLADESH** – Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) issued arrest warrants on Monday for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 11 others, including former military officials and a police chief, on charges of enforced disappearances. This is the second arrest warrant issued against Ms. Hasina, who fled to India following the collapse of her Awami League government last August amidst widespread anti-government protests.

The warrants, issued by ICT Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, followed a prosecution plea detailing allegations of hundreds of enforced disappearances under Ms. Hasina’s regime. The Inspector General of Police has been ordered to arrest all 12 individuals and present them before the tribunal on February 12th. Among those named are Ms. Hasina’s former defense advisor, Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique (currently in custody), and former IGP Benazir Ahmed (believed to be at large).

Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam stated that the investigation revealed a state-sponsored culture of enforced disappearances, with those involved being rewarded for their actions. He implicated several agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), in the disappearances. Islam highlighted the establishment of a climate of fear over the past 15 years, resulting in thousands of abductions, with most victims never returning.

Last month, Bangladesh officially requested Ms. Hasina’s extradition from India, which acknowledged the request but offered no further comment. The ICT previously issued an arrest warrant against Ms. Hasina in October on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity related to the July-August protests. Since the fall of the Awami League government, over 60 cases concerning enforced disappearances, killings, and crimes against humanity have been filed with the ICT. A commission investigating these incidents has linked Ms. Hasina, her officials, and India to the disappearances. The commission’s provisional report documented 1,676 complaints, with 27% of the investigated cases resulting in victims never being found.

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