The International Crimes Tribunal on Wednesday issued arrest warrants against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Ganajagaran Mancha spokesman Imran H Sarker and three others in connection with crimes against humanity committed during the crackdown on Hefazat-e-Islam’s sit-in at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka in May 5–6 in 2013.
The three other accused facing arrest warrants are former home minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir and former inspectors general of police Hasan Mahmud Khandaker and Benazir Ahmed.
A three-member tribunal bench led by its chairman Golam Mortuza Mozumder also asked the jail authorities to produce detained Awami League leader and former state minister for home affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku, former IGP AKM Shohidul Haque, retired army major general Ziaul Ahsan, and former police officer Mollah Nazrul Islam before the tribunal on May 12.
The tribunal also ordered the investigation agency to submit its report on the case by May 12.
The tribunal passed the orders after hearing two petitions filed by the chief prosecutor.
Of the accused, Ziaul Ahsan, the then Rapid Action Battalion’ additional director general (operations), is now in custody in multiple ICT cases, while three others are in jail in separate criminal cases, according to the prosecution.
Prosecutor Mizanul Islam argued that the operation at Shapla Chattar in May 5–6 in 2013 targeted the sit-in of Hefazat-e-Islam and it amounted to crimes against humanity and genocide.
He submitted to the tribunal that the law enforcement agencies carried out the attack following direct orders from the then government high-ups.
The prosecutor also told the tribunal that the investigation team had found substantial evidence against all nine accused including Sheikh Hasina.
When asked about Imran H Sarker’s involvement, chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam said that he acted as an abettor, planner, and conspirator in the attack.
Tajul referenced to a book by former IGP AKM Shahidul Haque, which allegedly detailed Imran’s presence in a high-level policy meeting before the crackdown.
Tajul further claimed that the attack was orchestrated against the backdrop of Ganajagaran Mancha’s protests which he described as an attempt by atheist bloggers to suppress Islamists under the pretext of war crimes trials.
According to Tajul, Hefazat gathered at Shapla Chattar as a counter-movement, demanding punishment for bloggers who allegedly defamed Islam.
In response to why only five individuals were named in the arrest warrant, Tajul said that the prosecution aimed to hold senior commanding officers accountable, following the spirit of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.
Hefazat’s joint secretary general and Dhaka city unit president Junaid Al Habib and his followers were present in the courtroom during the hearing.
Habib was in jail for over a year between 2021 and 2022 in cases related to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed blockade programs.
This is the third arrest warrant issued against Awami League president Sheikh Hasina who fled to India following the fall of her government amid a mass uprising on August 5, 2024.
According to the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government has sent a diplomatic note to India, along with necessary extradition documents, but has yet to receive a response.
The tribunal had earlier issued two other arrest warrants against Hasina, one for crimes against humanity and genocide during the 2024 uprising, and the other for enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during her 15-year regime.
On November 26, 2024, Hefazat filed a complaint with the chief prosecutor’s office, accusing Hasina and 49 others of genocide and crimes against humanity for their roles in the Shapla Chattar crackdown.