The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday began the first trial of Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two of her associates – former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun -- for their alleged crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising in 2024.
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder and including Justice Md Shafiul Alam Mahmood and retired judge Md Mohitul Haque Anan Chawdhury, heard the opening statements chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam made following attorney general Md Asaduzzaman’s background speech on the case against Hasina’s command responsibilities in crimes against humanity.
Both the chief prosecutor and the attorney general called for the maximum punishment for Hasina and her co-accused for their command responsibilities in the crimes against humanity across the country during the uprising to ensure justice for the victims and families of the deceased numbering over 1,400 people and thousands of injured.
The trial began while Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman were staying in India, while Mamun remained in jail custody and produced in the tribunal as approver.
The attorney general referred to the historical example of Oliver Cromwell, the 17th-century English ruler, whose body was exhumed and posthumously hanged for ordering the killing of Catholics during his rule.
‘We do not want to punish Sheikh Hasina in such a brutal or symbolic manner as Cromwell,’ said the attorney general. ‘His decomposed body was drawn to Tyburn, hanged, and then decapitated. The head of Cromwell was placed on spikes above the Westminster Hall for 20 years before being reburied at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge after 300 years — meant as a warning against genocide.’
Oliver Cromwell was initially buried at Westminster Abbey after his death in 1658.
The attorney general further said, ‘We are not that inhumane. We seek the maximum punishment for fascist Sheikh Hasina under the existing laws of our country, based on the evidence we will present.’
‘This is about delivering justice, setting a precedent, and securing a future for the next generation of Bangladesh,’ he went on to observe.
The two co-accused are former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.
Abdullah Al-Mamun has turned approver and is cooperating with the tribunal by providing testimony against Hasina and Asaduzzaman while they are absconding. He was in the dock during the proceedings.
The tribunal also recorded the deposition of a survivor, Khokon Chandra Barman, a microbus driver from Narayanganj who was shot in the face on August 5, 2024 at the Jatrabari flyover.
Khokon also demanded exemplary punishment for Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman, former IGP Abdullah Al Mamun, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader and Narayanganj AL leader Shamim Osman.
After his testimony and cross-examination by tribunal-appointed defence lawyer Amir Hossain, the court adjourned until Monday morning when the tribunal is scheduled to record testimonies of two more prosecution witnesses.
Before Khokon’s deposition, the courtroom witnessed an emotional situation.
Many lawyers, court staff, and journalists were seen in tears as a documentary was played, featuring testimonies from victims and families of those killed during the July uprising. The video of state-owned Bangladesh Television, sourced from YouTube, was presented by the prosecution.
Khokon, now 23, survived a police shooting that left him severely disfigured. He lost his left eye, suffered partial vision loss in the other, and received facial injuries that have made it difficult for him to speak clearly.
He described the events of August 5, 2024 when he was shot near the Jatrabari flyover.
Police from the nearby Jatrabari police station opened fire on protesters. Khokon had taken shelter inside a drum under the flyover when a bullet struck his face, narrowly missing his head.
Khokon said that fellow protesters found his mobile phone in his pocket and used it to contact his family. Initially refused treatment at the Mugda Medical College Hospital and a dialysis center, he was later treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the Mirpur Dental Hospital.
He was eventually transferred to the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, where interim government advisers assured him of overseas treatment. He was treated at the intensive care unit of the hospital for a month.
He was flown to Russia on January 21, 2025 for reconstructive surgery and returned home on April 7. A second round of surgery is scheduled for August 18, 2025.
Khokon testified that he had regularly joined the uprising protests, particularly on July 18 and 19, 2024, while the movement of all kinds of transports was suspended during the uprising.
On August 5, 2024, he left his home around 9:30am and joined the demonstration at the Signboard point in Jatrabari.
Protesters were initially blocked by police and Border Guard Bangladesh personnel. Around noon, the BGB allowed the march to proceed seeing flock of protesters. But suddenly, police opened fire.
‘I saw a protester collapse, blood pouring from his body like a slaughtered cow,’ he said.
Another person was shot, and bullets continued to fly.
Khokon said that army troops later arrived and ordered the police to retreat. Protesters cheered and chanted slogans when news spread that Sheikh Hasina had resigned. But once the army left, police returned and began firing again.
Protesters scattered, some hiding behind the flyover pillars. Khokon was shot in the hand and leg before taking refuge in the drum where a bullet hit his face.
Unable to speak, he raised his hands and screamed silently for help.
During the cross-examination, tribunal-appointed defence lawyer Amir Hossain challenged Khokon’s testimony.
Amir claimed that as a driver for Sim Group of Fabrics in Gawsia, Khokon could not have attended daily protests. He also pointed to inconsistencies between his court statements and earlier reports to investigators.
The defence councel argued that many protesters, including Khokon, might have been injured by weapons used by demonstrators themselves. He further claimed that 13 to 14 police officers were killed at the Jatrabari police station, during the uprising, allegedly by armed protesters.
Amir also questioned Khokon’s spiritual remarks, noting a contradiction between his supposed religious beliefs and his emotional expressions in the courtroom video.
