Dhaka. Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal has extended by two months the deadline to complete its investigation into crimes against humanity allegations against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A three-member bench headed by tribunal chairman Justice Ghulam Murtuza Majumdar passed the order and booked Hasina and 45 others, including former ministers, for genocide during the student-led protests in July-August, ‘Daily Star’ newspaper reported. The deadline to complete the investigation in the case registered against him was extended till February 18.
Hasina (77) left for India on August 5 after unprecedented protests against the government. On August 5, student protests led to the end of Hasina’s 16-year rule. According to the prosecution, investigation reports in the two cases were to be completed today, but the investigating agency sought more time. Former Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaq was shown arrested in the massacre case, apart from this, 15 other high-ranking people were also shown arrested earlier in this case. Those arrested include former law minister Anisul Haq, former industries minister Amir Hussain Amu, former food minister Kamrul Islam, former civil aviation and tourism minister Lt Col (retd) Farooq Khan, former minister and Workers’ Party president Rashid Khan Menon .
At the same time, an inquiry commission constituted by the interim government recently said in its provisional report that it has found Hasina’s involvement in the alleged incidents of forced disappearance of people. The commission set up to investigate cases of enforced disappearance has estimated the number of such cases to be more than 3,500. “The commission has found evidence of Sheikh Hasina’s involvement as a facilitator of enforced disappearances during her tenure,” the office of Mohammad Yunus, chief adviser to the interim government, said in a statement.
