• Indictment also targets members of military intelligence and the Rapid Action Battalion elite force

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday was indicted in two cases of enforced disappearance tied to her government’s rule, prosecutors said.

The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal filed at least 10 formal charges against Hasina and 30 others after an investigation into forced disappearances during the tenure of her Awami League administration.

Hasina — removed from power following a mass uprising in August 2024 — is now living in India, prosecutors told reporters.

Prosecutor Gazi Monawar Hossain Tamim said formal charges were submitted against Hasina and her former defense adviser.

Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam added that some serving members of the military’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and the Rapid Action Battalion were also named. The tribunal has issued arrest warrants for all accused, including those still in service.

Commission’s findings

The indictments follow a probe by the interim administration’s Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance, which said it found preliminary evidence linking Hasina and senior security officials to cases of forced disappearance.

The commission recorded 1,676 complaints, verified 758, and estimated the total number could exceed 3,500.

Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan told Anadolu that the filing of charges signals the start of the trial, and he believes justice for the victims will be upheld and that such heinous crimes involving the state and powerful figures could be stopped by setting this legal precedent.

Other pending cases

Hasina was previously indicted by the same tribunal in crimes against humanity cases connected to killings during last year’s student-led uprising.

According to a report by the UN human rights office, up to 1,400 people — including children — were killed in the unrest between July and August 2024.