Thousands in Bangladesh call for prosecution of ousted PM Hasina

Protesters chanted slogans calling for Hasina’s trial and the banning of her Awami League party. (Photo/AP)

Thousands of people led by students rallied in Bangladesh’s capital, calling for the prosecution of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and those responsible for hundreds of deaths in a mass protest against her government in July.

The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement organised the "March for Unity" at the Central Shaheed Minar on Tuesday, a national monument in Dhaka.

Protesters chanted slogans calling for Hasina's trial and the banning of her Awami League party.

Hasina fled to India on August 5 after weeks of violence in which authorities say hundreds of people were killed and thousands more wounded on orders of her government.

The uprising ended the 15-year rule of the country’s longest-serving prime minister, who began a fourth consecutive term in January following an election boycotted by the major opposition parties.

Last week, Bangladesh sent a formal request to India to extradite Hasina. She faces many court cases over the deaths of protesters, including some on charges of crimes against humanity.

"Since August 5, we have no more enemies in Bangladesh. Our only enemy is the Awami League," Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the student movement, said while addressing the crowd.

Arrest warrants

Protesters also urged the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to issue a formal proclamation by January 15 detailing the events of the uprising.

The student leaders want the proclamation to include two key demands: a new constitution after the 1972 charter, which was enacted under Hasina’s father, to be abolished, and a ban on the Awami League party.

Hasina's Awami League had ruled Bangladesh for 15 years, since 2009.

The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal has already issued arrest warrants for Hasina and her close aides, and the government has sought help from the international police organisation Interpol in seeking her arrest.

Speaking from the US, Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, has questioned the credibility of the tribunal and called charges against her a "political witch hunt."

Meanwhile, the interim government has promised to try Hasina and others in her administration for alleged crimes involving the deaths of protesters and has invited the United Nations to help investigate the killings.

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Source: TRT