Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and 40 others charged with crimes against humanity over 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown

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Formal charges were filed Monday at the International Crimes Tribunal-2 in Dhaka against 41 individuals in connection with the 2013 crackdown on a Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in the capital. The formal complaint, submitted by Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Aminul Islam, alleges crimes against humanity during the operation.

The list of 41 accused individuals includes former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is named as the primary defendant. The case further implicates 15 other former ministers and members of parliament, 21 former officials from various law enforcement and security agencies, three political organizers, and two journalists.

Among the prominent political figures facing charges are former Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, former Textiles and Jute Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, former Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, and former State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku. Other high-profile political figures named in the complaint include Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Hasanul Haq Inu, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Abdur Razzaq, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Mrinal Kanti Das, and SM Jahid.

The legal action also targets several former top police and military officials, including former Army Chief General Aziz Ahmed, who served as the Director General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at the time of the incident. Former police chiefs named in the filing include Hassan Mahmood Khandker, AKM Shahidul Haque, Mohammad Javed Patwary, and Benazir Ahmed, the latter three of whom served as Inspector General of Police at various stages of their careers. Former Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Chief Mokhlesur Rahman and several other senior military and police officers—such as Ziaul Ahsan, Mojibur Rahman, and Harun-or-Rashid—have also been listed as accused.

Expressing concern about the culture of impunity and rape and murder.

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The charges extend to key figures from various social and media organizations, including former Jubo League chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury, Ganojagaran Mancha spokesperson Imran H. Sarkar, and Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee president Shahriar Kabir. Additionally, former Ekattor TV managing director Mozammel Babu and former chief reporter Farzana Rupa are named in the filing.

The case encompasses a wide range of former law enforcement personnel who held strategic positions within the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and the Detective Branch during the 2013 event. These include former senior officers such as Abdul Jalil Mondal, Sheikh Muhammad Maruf Hassan, Mahbub Hossain, Monirul Islam, Anwar Hossain, Ashrafuzzaman, SM Mehedi Hasan, Biplob Kumar Sarkar, Syed Nurul Islam, and Asaduzzaman, along with former precinct leadership. The prosecution’s filing marks a significant escalation in the legal proceedings surrounding the violent dispersal of the rally, which remains a deeply contentious event in the country’s recent history.