Dhaka, Oct 16: Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal’s chief prosecutor on Thursday sought the death penalty for deposed premier Sheikh Hasina, alleging that she was the “mastermind and principal architect” behind the crimes against humanity committed during the mass protests last year.
Hasina, 78, faces multiple cases in Bangladesh after being ousted in August last year following the mass student-led agitation in the country. According to a UN rights office report, up to 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year as Hasina’s government ordered a security crackdown on protesters.
“Sheikh Hasina is the mastermind of all the crimes. She is an unrepentant, heartless criminal. She deserves the maximum punishment. No mercy should be shown to her regarding the death penalty,” Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.
“For the murder of 1,400 people, she ought to have been hanged 1,400 times. But since that is not possible, it is appropriate to impose the maximum punishment in order to establish rightful justice, so that in future no one can kill the citizens of their own country in this way,” he added.
Hasina’s supporters say the charges against her are politically motivated.
There was no immediate comment from Hasina or her party on the development.
The chief prosecutor sought maximum punishment for then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, naming him as one of the “Gang of Four” responsible for suppressing the July-August Mass Uprising and asking that no leniency be shown to him.
He said it is up to the tribunal to take an appropriate decision regarding former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who has already pleaded guilty and became an approver.
In addition, the chief prosecutor appealed for compensation to be provided to the victims of the July-August Mass Uprising from the assets of the convicted offenders.
A total of 54 prosecution witnesses testified in the case and were cross-examined by the defence counsel.
Tajul told the court that Hasina and Kamal were absconding, citing intelligence reports suggesting that they were in India.
The prosecution brought five charges of crimes against humanity and mass killings against Hasina, Kamal and Al-Mamun, based on a probe report filed by the ICT investigation agency on May 12. The tribunal framed the charges against the trio on July 10.
Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year amid escalating unrest and is currently residing in India. Kamal reportedly also took refuge in the neighbouring country.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has sought Hasina’s extradition, but India has yet to respond to the request.
The ICT-BD was formed by the past government to try hardened collaborators of the Pakistani troops during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, when Tajul appeared as a key lawyer to defend the accused.
Yunus’s administration amended the ICT-BD law to try the leaders of the past regime, including Hasina, appointing Tajul as its chief prosecutor.
Most Awami League leaders and key figures of the past government are now in jail or on the run at home and abroad. (PTI)
