DHAKA – Bangladesh’s former police chief has pleaded guilty to crimes against humanity committed during a brutal crackdown on mass protests in 2024, while former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been formally indicted, prosecutors said after the trial resumed on July 10.
According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, when Hasina’s government sought to suppress a student-led uprising. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is prosecuting several former senior officials linked to Hasina’s ousted administration and her now-banned political party, the Awami League.
Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Mamun “pleaded guilty to crimes against humanity,” ICT chief prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam told reporters. Islam added that Mamun has agreed to cooperate with the court by serving as a witness, offering comprehensive insight into the crimes committed during the uprising. The court has approved separate accommodation to ensure his protection.
The tribunal also rejected a motion by defence lawyers to dismiss charges against Hasina and her former interior minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Both were formally indicted in the same case. Amir Hossain, the state-appointed counsel for Hasina and Kamal, said he remains optimistic. “The trial is at an initial stage, and there are several other phases,” he stated.
Hasina, 77, fled to India by helicopter after the protests ended her 15-year rule. She has refused to comply with an extradition request and is being tried in absentia. Her trial began on June 1.
She faces at least five charges at the ICT, including abetment, incitement, conspiracy, facilitation, complicity and failure to prevent mass murder. Prosecutors argue that she held command responsibility for the bloodshed. On July 2, she was separately convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. Former minister Kamal, also a fugitive, is believed to be residing in India.