Hearing on charges against Hasina, 2 others set for July 1

The International Crimes Tribunal has scheduled July 1 for the hearing on framing charges against Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Police Inspector General Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun. The charges relate to crimes against humanity committed during the July-August genocide.

On June 24, the three-member tribunal, led by Chairman Justice Md. Golam Mortuza Majumder, issued the order. Prosecutor Gazi M.H. Tamim represented the prosecution during the hearing.

Earlier, on June 17, the tribunal issued notices instructing Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to surrender, warning that failure to appear within seven working days would result in the trial proceeding in their absence. The notices were published in two national newspapers.

On June 1, the tribunal accepted five charges against Sheikh Hasina and two others and issued new arrest warrants for Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. The charges were read in court by Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam along with prosecutors Abdus Sobhan Torafdar and Mizanul Islam, and the proceedings were widely broadcast.

An investigative report submitted on May 12 named Sheikh Hasina as the main orchestrator of the July genocide. The tribunal had earlier ordered the investigation to be completed by April 20.

The trial concerns allegations that Sheikh Hasina and her government suppressed an anti-discrimination student movement and fired indiscriminately on protesters, resulting in nearly 1,500 deaths.