Bangladesh court seeks arrest of ex-PM Hasina for ‘crimes against humanity’

Toppled leader is in India, which has bilateral extradition treaty with Bangladesh – though loophole could prevent her return.

A Bangladeshi court has ordered the arrest of self-exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India more than two months ago after being toppled in a student-led uprising.

Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), said on Thursday the court had issued arrest warrants for Hasina and 45 others, ordering that they attend court by November 18, according to The Daily Star local newspaper.

“Sheikh Hasina was at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity in July to August,” Islam said, referring to a crackdown on student protests, which killed more than 1,000 people, according to the interim Health Ministry.

The student-led movement began with demonstrations demanding the government abolish its practice of reserving a third of civil service jobs for relatives of war veterans, before spiralling into wider protests calling for Hasina’s resignation.

Human rights groups accused the prime minister of using excessive force against protesters, a charge she denied.

After weeks of nationwide unrest, Hasina resigned and fled to India in early August. She was replaced by Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus, who is currently leading the country’s interim government.

Hasina has not been seen in public since leaving Bangladesh. The 77-year-old’s last official whereabouts is a military airbase near India’s capital, New Delhi.

Her presence in India has infuriated Bangladesh, which has revoked Hasina’s diplomatic passport. The two countries have a bilateral extradition treaty which could theoretically compel her to return to face criminal trial.

However, a clause in the treaty says extradition might be refused if the offence is of a “political character”.

It is not clear whether the former pro-democracy icon, who critics say had become increasingly autocratic during her 15-year reign, will remain in India or head elsewhere.

It was Hasina’s government that created the deeply contentious ICT in 2010 to probe atrocities during the 1971 independence war from Pakistan.

The United Nations and rights groups have criticised its procedural shortcomings, with the court often seen as a means for Hasina to eliminate political opponents.

Several cases accusing Hasina of orchestrating the “mass murder” of protesters are being investigated by the court.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies