Bangladesh police have begun investigating former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is already accused of murder and after a series of bloody protests in the weeks leading up to early August,
Foreign news agencies reported that Mamoon Mia, a Bangladeshi lawyer, filed a lawsuit in court to start investigating former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Along with six other senior officials of the previous government on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, on charges of killing a trader. During weeks of anti-government protests until more than 400 people died
The case comes after the death of Abu Saeed, a Dhaka trader. Police shot him in the head and he died. While walking across the road amid student protests on July 19, Mr. Mia said a Dhaka court had ordered police to accept murder charges against the accused.
Mr Mia filed the suit on behalf of Bangladeshi businessman Amir Hamza. He is not related to Mr Saeed but wanted to help his financially strapped family. “I am the first ordinary citizen to show the courage to take legal action against Sheikh Hasina and I will take care of this case till the end,” Mr Hamza said.
This is the first time that Ms Hasina has been put on trial. Since the protests began in mid-July, Mr Obaidul Quader, the former transport minister, is one of those who will also be investigated.
But just hours after the lawsuit was filed, Ms Hasina also made her first public statement. Under pressure from the protests, she was forced to resign and flee the country in early August. She called for an investigation into the protests. Which prompted her to resign and called for the names of those involved to be revealed and punished according to the law.
Sheikh Hasina has also announced through her son Sajib Wajid that she will return to Bangladesh once the new election date is announced.
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