Hasina’s crimes against humanity proven beyond doubt: Attorney General

Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman on Thursday told the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 that the prosecution has proven “beyond doubt” the charges of crimes against humanity against three accused, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for atrocities committed during the July–August mass uprising.

Delivering his closing arguments before the tribunal, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mojumder, the attorney general asserted that the state had presented “comprehensive documentary, oral and circumstantial evidence” establishing the guilt of the accused.

“The defence has claimed the accused gave no orders and were innocent,” Asaduzzaman said. “Fortunately, they did not deny that the July Uprising occurred, or that 1,400 people were killed and more than 30,000 injured. But if these facts are accepted and if the killings were carried out nationwide under state patronage using the state machinery, then the question remains; who committed these crimes?”

He argued that the prosecution had clearly demonstrated who was responsible, how the crimes were carried out and under whose instructions.

“The accused used state apparatus to commit systematic and widespread killings. We have shown whose directives were executed, how the command chain functioned and who implemented those orders,” he said, adding that the accused later fled the country but continued to follow and interfere in the trial from abroad.

According to Asaduzzaman, the evidence presented “would withstand scrutiny in any court in the world.”

“If this evidence were submitted anywhere else, no court could avoid sentencing the accused in the interest of justice,” he said. “As a nation, we now stand at the threshold of civilization, striving to move forward. If we fail to ensure justice here, we will remain; in the words of poet Helal Hafiz, cowards in the eyes of future generations.”

Responding to questions about whether the accused would receive a fair trial, the attorney general countered, “Many are asking if the killers will get justice, but should justice be viewed only from their perspective? Don’t the 1,400 people who were killed in 36 days deserve justice? Don’t the thousands who were maimed have that right? Doesn’t the state itself deserve justice?”

Referring to Sheikh Hasina’s absence, Asaduzzaman said he had once hoped she would return to Bangladesh to face trial.

“She once challenged another leader to return and face justice if he had courage,” he said. “I believed she meant it sincerely. But today, I realize she did not. If she truly had courage, she would have returned to stand trial on the soil of Bangladesh.”

Turning to the tribunal, the attorney general emphasized the historical importance of the case.

“No matter how difficult or obstructed this trial may be, we must establish justice by breaking through all barriers,” he said. “If we fail, countless innocent lives will remain at risk; children like five-year-old Anas, youths like Mugdha who was killed while distributing water and Abu Sayeed who fell on the street. If we fail to conclude this trial with justice, the people of Bangladesh will go down in history as cowards.”

Concluding his arguments, Asaduzzaman declared, “What we have proved in this trial is beyond doubt.”

After hearing arguments from both sides, the tribunal fixed November 13, 2025, to announce the date of judgment in the case against Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun; who has already pleaded guilty and turned approver.