The government of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is accused of killing hundreds of protesters last summer.
Thousands of people have gathered in Bangladesh’s capital to demand the prosecution of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and those responsible for hundreds of deaths in a mass uprising against her government in July.
The Student Movement Against Discrimination organized what it called the Unity March on Tuesday at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument in Dhaka. Protesters chanted slogans calling for Hasina’s trial and the banning of her Awami League party.
Hasina fled to India on August 5 after weeks of violence in which authorities said hundreds of people were killed and thousands more injured at the behest of her government. The uprising ended the 15-year rule of the country’s longest-serving prime minister, who began a fourth consecutive term in January after elections boycotted by opposition parties.
Last week, Bangladesh sent a formal request to India to extradite Hasina. She faces multiple lawsuits over the deaths of protesters, including some on charges of crimes against humanity.
“Since August 5, we no longer have enemies in Bangladesh. Our only enemy is the Awami League,” said Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the student movement, while addressing the crowd.
The protesters also called on the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to issue an official proclamation by January 15 representing the uprising.
Student leaders want the declaration to include two main demands: a new constitution after the repeal of the current charter, which was adopted under Hasina’s father in 1972, and a ban on the Awami League.
Hasina’s party had ruled Bangladesh since 2009.
The Dhaka-based International Criminal Court has already issued arrest warrants for Hasina and her close aides, and the government has sought help from the international police organization Interpol to seek her arrest.
Speaking from the United States, Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, questioned the credibility of the court and called the charges against her a “political witch hunt”.
Meanwhile, the interim government has promised to try Hasina and others in her administration on charges related to the deaths of the protesters and has invited the United Nations to help investigate the killings.
Hasina has also demanded an investigation, saying many deaths may have involved parties other than security agencies.
