¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

The mother of a student who was shot during the July-August mass uprising sought protection from the International Crimes Tribunal, alleging threats and intimidation after filing a genocide case against deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 43 of her associates.

On Sunday, Nadia Afroz Sheuli, a schoolteacher and mother of Robiussani Shipu—a student of the American International University-Bangladesh’s English department—submitted a petition to the tribunal, requesting full-time security for herself and witnesses in the case.

Sheuli claims that ever since filing the case, she has been subjected to intimidation by local Awami League leaders.

She alleges that seven ruling party members, recently released on bail, have been monitoring her residence in Modhupur, Ashulia, and threatening her.

‘My son was shot multiple times just a day before the government was toppled on August 5, 2024,’ Sheuli stated in her complaint. ‘Now, I fear for my own life.’

A widow living alone, Sheuli said that she faced harassment daily. ‘These seven men, all loyal to the local Awami League, station themselves near my home every morning as I leave for my job at Faruknagar Ismail Bepari High School,’ she said.

Sheuli’s ordeal began after Shipu survived a near-fatal attack during the mass uprising, where he was shot four times, with bullets piercing his kidney.

Despite his injuries, he filed an attempted murder case with the Ashulia police naming Sheikh Hasina and 29 others, on October 15, 2024, the day after he was brutally attacked again—allegedly by 14 local Awami League leaders.

Later on December 23, 2024, she filed a complaint with the office of the chief prosecutor against Hasina and 44 others merging the two cases filed with the Ashulia police station.

Sheuli said that several police officers and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan’s son were shown arrested in the case.

‘The accused, recently released on bail, are now terrorising me,’ Sheuli said. ‘They openly threaten, ‘You, and your son will be finished.’

Sheuli described a constant atmosphere of intimidation, saying that the accused frequently gather near her home blaring vehicle horns as a show of dominance.

‘They make it clear—they want to see how I dare to stay here,’ she added.

Sheuli said that as a working woman, she had no choice but to leave her home daily for her job. ‘I have formally applied for full-time security. I fear for my life,’ she stated.

Sheuli urged the tribunal to ensure security, fearing that the threats will escalate.

Sheuli’s lawyer, Shahin Mandal, told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· that the International Crimes Tribunal’s prosecution team should bring Sheuli’s plea to the judges who had the authority to issue arrest warrants against the accused to ensure her safety and security.

Sheuli’ case is among many stemming from the violent protests that led to the fall of the government.