Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has become the center of a new legal storm as a special court in Bangladesh issued an arrest warrant on June 2, 2025, holding her accountable for the deaths of more than a thousand protesters during the twilight of her authoritarian governance. This wake of violence, according to the International Crimes Tribunal she established in 2010, includes charges of incitement, facilitation, and conspiracy in the mass killings that unfolded last July.
The grave accusations against Hasina and her close aides shed light on a systemic crackdown that critics argue was a strategy to quell dissent as protests intensified. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam claims that Hasina orchestrated rampant violence against demonstrators, a situation that escalated before she fled to India seeking refuge.
This arrest warrant comes amid heightened political tumult in Bangladesh. Opposition parties are vocally criticizing the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus for procrastinating on electoral reforms and delaying elections that are due to replace Hasina. Yunus has suggested that additional time is necessary to ensure a fair election process, but he faces mounting pressure to initiate a vote before the year's end.
For the first time in the country’s history, court proceedings were broadcast live, although all defendants, including Hasina, were absent from the session.
The grave accusations against Hasina and her close aides shed light on a systemic crackdown that critics argue was a strategy to quell dissent as protests intensified. Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam claims that Hasina orchestrated rampant violence against demonstrators, a situation that escalated before she fled to India seeking refuge.
This arrest warrant comes amid heightened political tumult in Bangladesh. Opposition parties are vocally criticizing the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus for procrastinating on electoral reforms and delaying elections that are due to replace Hasina. Yunus has suggested that additional time is necessary to ensure a fair election process, but he faces mounting pressure to initiate a vote before the year's end.
For the first time in the country’s history, court proceedings were broadcast live, although all defendants, including Hasina, were absent from the session.
