Bangladesh Sees New Case Against Hasina, 26 Top Journalists On Charge Of Genocide

A lawyer in Bangladesh has filed a case in the International Crimes Tribunal accusing 52 individuals, including ousted premier Sheikh Hasina and 26 senior journalists.

The complaint alleges that the accused were involved in crimes against humanity and genocide during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, which started in July with a demand for scrapping the quota system in government jobs.

Lawyer MH Gazi Tamim filed the case on behalf of Golam Razzaque, the father of Nasib Hasan Rihan, a 17-year-old student who was allegedly shot dead on August 5 by law enforcement personnel in Dhaka’s Shyamoli’s Ring Road area.

Following weeks of student protests, Hasina stepped down and fled to India on August 5. More than 70 cases have been filed accusing Hasina of different crimes, including 65 murder cases, and eight for crimes against humanity and genocide.

Tamim’s complaint also accuses the 26 journalists of being “sycophants” of the previous Awami League government. It alleges they published misleading information that fuelled the alleged genocidal actions by the previous government and law enforcement agencies, thereby legitimising these crimes.

The journalists include Nayeemul Islam Khan, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Mozammel Babu, Nabanita Chowdhury, Subhash Singh Roy and Ahmed Zobair. The complaint also names former academic and judicial figures, including professor Muhammad Zafar Iqbal and retired Supreme Court judge AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik.