Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina faces new charges of 'mass murder' – Firstpost

A case was filed in a Bangladeshi court on Sunday against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others, accusing them of committing “mass murder” through indiscriminate firing at a rally organized by Hefazat-e-Islam in Dhaka in 2013.

According to a report in the Dhaka Tribune newspaper, Babul Sardar Chakhari, chairman of the Bangladesh People's Party (BPP), approached the court of Dhaka City Magistrate Zaki-Al-Farabi,

The chargesheet accused them of “mass murder” during the rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel on May 5, 2013.

The court recorded the plaintiff's statement and stated that it would make a decision at that time.

Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was charged with murder on Saturday over the death of a college student during protests against quota reforms in the country, the latest in a series of charges brought against her following her ouster.

The case was filed against Hasina, former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel and 32 others, including several Awami League leaders, in Chandgaon, bdnews24.com reported. Another 40 to 50 unidentified people were also accused in the case, it said.

More than 230 people have been killed in violence across Bangladesh since the overthrow of the Hasina government, bringing the death toll to 560 since anti-quota protests began in mid-July.

On Wednesday, Bangladesh's International Criminal Court opened an investigation against the former prime minister and nine other people. They are accused of genocide and crimes against humanity. The defendants say the crimes occurred between July 15 and August 5 during mass student protests against their government.

On Wednesday, a complaint was filed with the Bangladesh International Criminal Court's Investigation Department against Hasina, Awami League general secretary and former road transport and bridges minister Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and several other prominent figures within the party.

A team of UN experts will visit Bangladesh next week to investigate the killings of protesters before and after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister last week, it was announced on Thursday.

After the fall of the Hasina regime, an interim government was formed and 84-year-old Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was appointed chief adviser.

With inputs from agencies.