Bangladesh Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Ex-Prime Minister Hasina
The government she led was toppled, with hundreds losing their lives during the unrest.

Kathmandu. A court in Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for the country’s exiled former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. The warrant also targets Obaidul Quader, the former general secretary of Hasina’s Awami League party, along with 44 others.
Hasina fled to India in August during a student-led protest movement. The government she led was toppled, with hundreds losing their lives during the unrest. One of the relatives of the victims has said they are still waiting for the trial to begin. Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam, who is working on the case, described the day Hasina was removed from power as “remarkable.”
During her 15-year rule, Hasina’s administration was accused of widespread human rights violations, including detaining political opponents en masse and extrajudicial killings. Chief prosecutor Islam from the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh said the court has ordered Hasina’s arrest and demanded her appearance on 18th November.
The charges stem from crimes against humanity, including massacres, allegedly led by her administration between July and August this year. Islam stated that the warrant was necessary for her and other accused to be investigated.
Following the fall of Hasina’s government, dozens of her associates were detained, and over 700 people were reported dead in police crackdowns during the uprising. Many of her senior party members and ministers have also been arrested. Additionally, those appointed by her government, including officials in the judiciary and the central bank, have been removed from their positions.
Hasina has not been seen in public since she fled Bangladesh via helicopter. She was last spotted at a military airbase near New Delhi, India. Her stay in India and her political activities from there have angered Bangladesh’s new interim government, which has revoked her diplomatic passport.
Although Bangladesh and India have an extradition treaty, the treaty allows for the refusal of extradition if the crimes are deemed to be of a “political nature.” This clause may complicate efforts to bring Hasina back to face trial.
One of the cases filed against her comes from the family of Sajib Sarkar, a doctor who was killed during the protests last July. His sister, Sumaiya Sarkar, expressed her hopes for justice: “We want the government to bring her back as soon as possible and hold her accountable. We are waiting for a fair hearing.”
This case is part of the larger war crimes tribunal established by Hasina’s own government in 2010 to investigate atrocities committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. However, both the United Nations and human rights groups have criticised the tribunal for its procedural flaws, viewing it as a tool to eliminate Hasina’s political rivals.
The court is also investigating allegations that Hasina planned the “mass killing” of protesters during the recent unrest. In the wake of her escape, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has been tasked with leading the interim government.
Yunus, 84, who spearheaded microfinance initiatives in Bangladesh, has described his role as a difficult one, facing the challenge of restoring democratic institutions in the country. He has acknowledged that he has inherited a “completely broken” public administration and justice system, warning that major reforms are needed to prevent the nation from sliding back into authoritarianism.