ICT orders public summons for Hasina, Kamal

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has ordered authorities to issue public summons for Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in connection with the July–August uprising case.

A three-member bench, led by ICT Chairman Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, passed the order after a hearing on Monday, ICT Chief Prosecutor Advocate Md Tajul Islam said.

The court directed that the summons be published in one Bengali and one English newspaper.

The tribunal has taken cognizance of five charges against the accused, including Sheikh Hasina, and scheduled the next hearing for June 24. It also reissued arrest warrants for absconding accused individuals.

Earlier on Monday, former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was produced before the tribunal.

Following the hearing, the court ordered public summons for Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal due to their failure to appear before the court.

The chief prosecutor formally submitted charges accusing Sheikh Hasina of responsibility for atrocities during last year’s pro-democracy uprising, during which nearly 1,500 people were killed.

Amid widespread protests on August 5 last year, Sheikh Hasina fled the country, reportedly taking shelter in India. Subsequently, Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus assumed power and restructured the tribunal to prosecute those accused of mass killings. The first case filed under the restructured ICT was against Hasina.

After a six-month investigation, the tribunal’s agency submitted its final report on May 12, which was formally presented before the court on Sunday.