Prosecutors demand maximum sentence, call Hasina ‘core of atrocities’

Attorney General (AG) Md Asaduzzaman and Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam have demanded the maximum legal punishment for Sheikh Hasina, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in a high-profile crimes against humanity case stemming from last year’s July mass uprising.

In a hearing at International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 on Sunday, both state and prosecution lawyers submitted their opening statements, outlining a series of grave allegations, including mass killings, enforced disappearances, and state-sanctioned violence during the July-August 2024 unrest.

Attorney General Asaduzzaman told the tribunal that the people of Bangladesh seek justice through due legal process. “We don’t want vengeance, we want justice,” he said, referencing historic tyrants to underscore the scale of alleged abuses. “Like the people who revolted against Cromwell, our nation has risen. But we won’t exhume the past — we’ll pursue justice lawfully.”

Referring to systemic abuse of power from 2009 to 2024, the attorney general accused the former ruling authorities of manipulating elections, looting public wealth, and creating “a mountain of foreign assets” under the guise of upholding the Liberation War spirit.

Without directly naming her, he said, “If Goebbels had wanted to learn lying, Sheikh Hasina could have been his teacher,” while suggesting she would have been president of any global autocrats’ association.

Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam directly named Sheikh Hasina as the “nucleus” of the crimes committed during the July uprising. He said Hasina, then Prime Minister and head of both the executive and the ruling coalition, personally directed key decisions, including the violent suppression of protests.

“All crimes had one objective—maintaining Sheikh Hasina’s grip on power,” Tajul said. He claimed that all co-accused operated with the understanding that their survival and rewards were tied to her remaining in office.

The prosecution submitted alleged digital records, government communications, and forensic evidence to support its case. Tajul notably cited a recorded phone call between Hasina and her nephew, then-Dhaka South Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, in which she allegedly ordered lethal force to be used against demonstrators.

He further alleged that Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was part of a so-called “Gang of Four,” and that a core committee meeting at his Dhanmondi residence served as the operational hub for suppression tactics. Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, then Inspector General of Police, was accused of directly commanding security forces on the ground and overseeing implementation of shoot-to-kill orders.

The hearing was attended by several top tribunal prosecutors, including ICT Advisor Barrister Toby Cadman, Mizanul Islam, Abdus Sobhan Tarafder, and others.