DHAKA: A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal set up by ousted premier Sheikh Hasina has launched three “mass murder” probes into its founder over the unrest that forced her to flee the country, its investigator said Monday.

More than 450 people were killed — many due to police fire — during a month of student-led protests against Hasina’s 15-year autocratic rule, before she quit as prime minister and fled to India on August 5.

“We are collecting preliminary evidence at this stage,” said Ataur Rahm­­an, deputy director of the tribunal’s investigation cell, adding the cases were related to “mass murder. After this, we will go to the site of the crimes.”

All three cases were brought by private individuals, and several of Hasina’s former top aides have also been named in the cases, he said. The cases relate to violence in suburbs or nearby districts of Dhaka, in Mirpur, Munshiganj and Savar.

In addition, local police units across the country filed at least 15 cases against Hasina, according to local media reports. Some relate to cases that predate the recent unrest, and charges include murder and “crimes against humanity”.

Bangladesh’s Inter-nat­ional Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which was set up by Hasina in 2010, has sentenced more than 100 people to death, including several of her political opponents. The court had been often criticised by rights groups for not following international conventions.

Hasina’s government was accused of widespr­ead human rights abuses, incl­uding the extrajudicial killing of thousands of her political opponents.

The UN said there were strong indications that the security forces used un­­necessary force in tackling the uprising.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024