Exiled former Bangladesh PM on trial

Reuters

Bangladesh’s ousted leader Sheikh Hasina is facing trial in absentia over her government’s crackdown on last year’s uprising, with prosecutors accusing her of mass murder and conspiracy.

Bangladeshi prosecutors have accused former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of “crimes against humanity” over her government’s response to last year’s uprising, which led to her ouster. Hasina, currently in India, is being tried in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka.

The student-led uprising ended her 15-year rule and forced her to flee the country. She has refused to comply with an extradition order to return to Bangladesh.

The ICT alleges that Hasina ordered a violent crackdown on the protest movement, deploying law enforcement agencies and armed supporters of her party to suppress the unrest.

Prosecutors have filed five charges, including abetment, incitement, complicity, facilitation, conspiracy, and failure to prevent mass killings during the July uprising. Several former top officials are also implicated.

Hasina has dismissed the charges as politically motivated. Her party, the Awami League, has been banned pending the outcome of the trial.

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