Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has stated that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will face trial for crimes against humanity.
“A trial will take place. Not only her, but also all those associated with her – including her family members, clients, and associates,” he said in an interview with UK-based Sky News.
Hasina is accused of overseeing a system of enforced disappearances during her tenure, as well as orchestrating a mass crackdown on protesters in July and August last year.
Currently in exile in India after being ousted by mass protests, Hasina is alleged to have operated a network of clandestine detention centres. These facilities reportedly functioned under the guise of a “war on terror,” where political opponents were interrogated, tortured, and, in some cases, killed, according to a report by Sky News published on Wednesday (5 March).
Bangladesh has issued two arrest warrants for Hasina. Professor Yunus confirmed that formal letters had been sent to India requesting her extradition, though no official response had been received from New Delhi.
He maintained, however, that Hasina would be tried in court, whether in person in Bangladesh or in absentia from India.
Professor Yunus recently visited one of the notorious secret detention centres, codenamed the ‘House of Mirrors’. The economist, widely known as the ‘banker to the poor’ and now serving as Bangladesh’s chief adviser, expressed his horror at what he witnessed.
“It is the most grotesque thing one could see, feel, or experience,” he remarked.
Hasina stands accused of directing her security forces and police to abduct, torture, and murder hundreds of activists. She has denied the allegations, claiming she is a victim of political persecution.
Both Hasina and many of her close aides, along with those allegedly responsible for overseeing as many as 800 secret prisons, have fled Bangladesh.
Professor Yunus acknowledged that the sheer number of individuals implicated in these crimes has made the judicial process complex and time-consuming.
“Everybody was involved in some way. The entire government played a role, making it difficult to distinguish between those who actively participated, those who simply followed orders, and those who were reluctant but still carried out these actions,” he explained.
Hasina, the military, and the police are also accused of violently suppressing protests in July and August, which, according to UN estimates, resulted in the deaths of up to 1,400 people in the days leading up to her departure.
Professor Yunus sought to manage public expectations regarding how quickly justice would be served, acknowledging that some cases would progress faster than others. He also noted that a new government could be in place as early as December.
“Some individuals will be punished, while others will still be undergoing legal proceedings. Some may remain untraceable,” he stated.
Investigations into Alleged Corruption
Since taking charge of a country in crisis, the chief adviser has also had to address allegations of corruption linked to Hasina’s administration.
Among those under investigation by Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who is Hasina’s niece.
Professor Yunus described the case against her as “serious,” noting that she had amassed significant “wealth left behind” in Bangladesh and that every aspect of the allegations would be examined.
Ms Siddiq stepped down as the UK’s anti-corruption minister in January after being named in the investigation. A spokesperson for the London MP denied the allegations, stating that she had “not been contacted regarding these matters” and “totally refutes the claims.”
Managing the Refugee Crisis
Another challenge facing Professor Yunus’s administration is the growing influx of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh.
The number of predominantly Muslim Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar has surged due to escalating violence in the country’s long-running civil war.
Professor Yunus confirmed that his government was in talks with rebel groups in Myanmar about establishing a “safe zone” to facilitate the eventual repatriation of the Rohingya people.
He also acknowledged the severe issues faced in Cox’s Bazar, which hosts the world’s largest refugee camp, currently sheltering an estimated one million Rohingya refugees.
