Jumbangla Desk: A British Bangladeshi lawyer and two other British lawyers have filed a case against Sheikh Hasina in the International Criminal Court. The case was filed on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide in Bangladesh. The case was filed under Article 15 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Hasina

This lawyer is accompanied by Barrister Sarah Forre, Barrister Emile Lixandru. In a press conference at the London Bangla Press Club to announce the case, Barrister MA Arefin Ashraful and his colleagues said that in July 2024, an unprecedented student movement began in Bangladesh, which came to be known as the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

Faced with this anti-discrimination student movement, the government responded with brutal violence. The government deployed forces such as the police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and the Awami League's student body Chhatra League to quell the peaceful student protests.

These forces indiscriminately attack peaceful protesters using live ammunition, rubber bullets, sound grenades, and lethal weapons—such as birdshot pellets and live ammunition. More than 1,400 people were martyred and thousands were injured, many of them permanently crippled, in the worst atrocity in history.

As a result of this draconian system of the former Bangladesh government, genocide, extrajudicial killings, torture and the disappearance of numerous protesters have occurred in the country. These acts of cruelty and human rights violations are examples of violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity.

Lawyers said, there is considerable doubt whether the judicial system of Bangladesh will be able to impartially investigate this serious crime. There is uncertainty over the execution of any sentences handed down in local courts due to the possibility of accused former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina receiving political support from India. However, if an international arrest warrant is issued, India may be forced to cooperate with the international community.

The case calls for an independent inquiry into charges of crimes against humanity against Sheikh Hasina, her cabinet and other influential government officials. The various crimes mentioned in the petition include premeditated killings, torture in secret prisons, restrictions on freedom of movement and expression, and grave crimes such as genocide.

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The case presented extensive evidence including documents of violence, extrajudicial killings, torture and mass persecution against the victims, including witnesses, video evidence and reliable information. Besides, an arrest warrant has been applied for against Sheikh Hasina for the sake of impartial investigation.