A complaint has been filed with the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands against ousted Bangladesh prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina allegedly for committing crimes during the July-August student-led mass uprising.
Bangladesh-born Barrister Md Asraful Arafin of London-based 3 Bolt Court Chambers filed the complaint on October 28, seeking an independent investigation into alleged atrocities, including systematic killings and torture in secret detention centres, according to a press statement issued on November 1.
鈥業n this context, a complaint was filed in the International Criminal Court on 28th October 2024 under Article 15 of the Rome Statute鈥his seeks an independent investigation into alleged crimes against humanity by Sheikh Hasina, her cabinet, and associated state actors, supported by detailed accounts, various reports, and video evidence,鈥� said the release.
It mentioned that Bangladesh witnessed a shocking tragedy in July and August of 2024. 鈥業n July, an unprecedented student movement鈥攌nown as the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement鈥攅merged, protesting the disproportionate reinstatement of the freedom fighters' quota and the reservation of 56 per cent of government positions for certain groups. The students argued that this quota system unfairly prioritised a specific group and restricted opportunities.
The then Bangladesh government responded with excessive and lethal force, reportedly deploying the Bangladesh Police, Rapid Action Battalion, and the Chhatra League鈥攖he student wing of the then ruling Awami League鈥攖o suppress dissent, the statement said, adding that these forces indiscriminately used firearms, rubber bullets, sound grenades, and lethal weapons like birdshot pellets and live ammunition.
鈥楤y August 2024, over 1,400 civilians were reportedly killed, with 22,000 injured. In addition to mass casualties, at least 92 individuals were blinded by gunfire, and hundreds suffered life-altering injuries. To curb international scrutiny, the government imposed a nationwide internet blackout and restricted all communications, obstructing efforts to document the violence,鈥� the statement said.
These systematic extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and acts of torture, including alleged abuses at secret detention centres like Ayna Ghar, amount to crimes against humanity under international law, reflecting a calculated effort to eliminate political opposition and silence dissent, the statement said.
The student-mass uprising ousted the AL regime on August 5 when the deposed prime minister Hasina fled to India.