Bangladesh chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in an interview with the United Kingdom-based Sky News has said that the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina will stand trial for crimes against humanity.
鈥楢 trial will be taking place. Not only her, but also all the people who are associated with her 鈥� her family members, her clients or associates,鈥� he said in the interview published on Wednesday.
Hasina is accused of overseeing a system of enforced disappearances during her time in government as well as the mass killing of protesters in July and August in the past year.
Hasina, who was toppled by the protests and is currently in exile in India, is accused of overseeing a network of secret detention centres.
It is alleged that her political opponents have been interrogated, tortured and some killed in the secret detention centres 鈥� all under the banner of a 鈥榳ar on terror鈥�, said the Sky News report.听
Bangladesh has issued two arrest warrants for her. Professor Yunus said that they had sent 鈥榝ormal letters鈥� but received 鈥榥o official response鈥� from New Delhi.
He insisted, however, that Hasina would face the court, whether physically present in Bangladesh or in absentia in India.
The chief adviser, who has recently visited one of the now infamous secret jails, code-named the 鈥楬ouse of Mirrors鈥�, said that he was beyond shocked at what he saw.
鈥楾his is just the ugliest thing that you can see, you can feel, or you can observe,鈥� he said.
Hasina is accused of using her security forces and police to oversee the abduction, torture and murder of hundreds of activists. She denies the allegations and says she鈥檚 being politically persecuted.
Hasina, her close aides and many of those accused of overseeing a network of as many as 800 secret jails have fled the country.
Yunus said that the number and range of people involved in the alleged crimes was 鈥榯aking time鈥� to work through.
鈥楨verybody was involved in it all,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥楾he whole government was involved in it. So you cannot distinguish who was really and enthusiastically doing it, who was doing it under orders and who was not quite supportive but carrying out those kinds of things.鈥�
The military and the police are also accused of a violent crackdown on protesters in July and August which the United Nations estimates killed as many as 1,400 people in the days before the former prime minister fled the country.
Yunus tried to manage expectations around how quickly the families of victims will see justice, and whether that will happen under his watch.
鈥楽ome will get punished, some will still be under the process, some will still be untraceable,鈥� he said.
About the upcoming national election, he said, 鈥楨lections for a new government in the country could happen as early as December.鈥�
Regarding the investigations into alleged corruption, the chief adviser has had a large in-tray to deal with since taking over a country in turmoil, including anti-corruption probes into those connected to Hasina.
British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who is Hasina鈥檚 niece, is one of those being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Yunus said that the case against her was 鈥榮erious鈥�, that she had a large amount of 鈥榳ealth left behind鈥� in the country and 鈥榚verything鈥� would be looked at.
Tulip Siddiq resigned as anti-corruption minister in January after being named in the investigation in Bangladesh.
A spokesperson for the London MP said that she 鈥榯otally denies the claims鈥� and had 鈥榥ot been contacted on these matters鈥�.
The influx of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh is another challenge for Yunus鈥� leadership.
There鈥檚 been a sharp rise in the number of the mainly Muslim minority fleeing Myanmar into Bangladesh after escalating violence in the country鈥檚 long-running civil war.
The CA said that they were now in talks with rebel groups in Myanmar about the possibility of a 鈥榮afe zone鈥� to eventually help the Rohingyas to return to their homeland.
He also acknowledged big problems in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, home to the largest refugee camp in the world, where an estimated one million Rohingyas have fled to.
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Muhammad Yunus
