 "Sheikh Hasina accused of genocide, faces International Crimes Tribunal case")
A complaint was lodged on Monday against ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 26 others, including former ministers from her Cabinet, with the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on charges of alleged genocide and crimes against humanity.
Md Abul Hasan, the father of Shahriar Hasan Alvi, who was killed during the recent student-led anti-discrimination movement, filed the complaint against 27 individuals, including 76-year-old Hasina, her associates, and 500 unidentified others. The complaint was submitted to the ICT's investigation agency, according to the state-run BSS news agency.
According to news agency PTI, among the prominent figures named in the complaint are former ministers Rashed Khan Menon, Obaidul Quader, Hasanul Huq Inu, and former inspector general of police, Abdullah Al Mamun.
The plaintiff supported his complaint with newspaper clippings and other relevant documents.
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Following unprecedented student protests against a controversial government job quota system that turned into a movement demanding her ouster, Hasina fled to India on August 5 after resigning from her position.
Bangladesh's interim government has announced that it will prosecute those involved in the killings during the mass student movement against Hasina in the ICT.
Last week, a separate complaint was filed with the ICT's investigation agency against Hasina and eight others, accusing them of committing genocide and crimes against humanity during the student-led protests.
On Wednesday, the tribunal commenced an investigation into the case against Hasina and others.
15 cases and counting
Earlier on Monday, two other murder cases were filed against Hasina, and former ministers of her Cabinet, in connection with the deaths of two individuals during the quota reform protests.
The cases involve the murders of Liton Hasan Lalu, also known as Hasan, in Mirpur, Dhaka, and Tarik Hossain in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area during the violent unrest that culminated in Hasina's ouster.
According to news agency PTI, these charges had brought the total number of cases filed against Hasina since her ouster to fifteen. Monday's ICT case likely brings that number to sixteen.
The violence that erupted across the country following the fall of Hasina's government has resulted in over 230 deaths, raising the total death toll to more than 600 since the student protests began in mid-July.
After Hasina's ouster, an interim administration was established in Bangladesh, with 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus appointed as its chief adviser.