WORLD NEWS
A special court in Bangladesh has remanded 15 senior military officers, including five generals, over charges of enforced disappearances and severe human rights violations committed during the 2024 student protests.
This marks the first time in Bangladesh’s history that senior members of the armed forces are being tried in a civilian court for such grave offenses. The officers—14 serving and one retired—are accused of operating a secret detention center during the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, where political opponents were allegedly held illegally, tortured, and in some cases, killed.
Most of the accused are reported to have ties to Bangladesh’s military intelligence and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a paramilitary force long accused of human rights abuses and sanctioned by the United States in 2021.
The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka has also ordered the publication of newspaper advertisements for Sheikh Hasina, her security adviser, and several others currently evading arrest. The notice requires them to appear before the court.
Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India following her government’s fall, has been sentenced to death in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity. She has refused to appear before the tribunal, calling the proceedings “politically motivated.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, hailed the development as “an important step toward accountability,” calling it “a historic moment for victims and their families.”
The 2024 protests erupted in July and August when students and opposition groups demanded electoral reforms and government transparency. Hasina’s administration responded with force, leading to what international rights organizations have described as one of the deadliest crackdowns in Bangladesh’s modern history.
According to UN estimates, around 1,400 people were killed by security forces during the protests, with thousands more detained or reported missing.
The Bangladesh Army, in a brief statement, expressed its commitment to cooperate fully with the judicial process. Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam said the officers’ decision to face trial “reflects respect for the rule of law and the country’s judicial institutions.”
Human rights advocates across South Asia have welcomed the court’s action as a potential turning point in Bangladesh’s struggle for justice and institutional accountability.
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