Lessons For Dictators

A Bangladeshi court issued an arrest warrant against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and dozens of her officials Thursday, two months after the leader fled the country following violent, student-led demonstrations that led to her ousting, Al Jazeera reported.

Mohammad Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), said the court called for the arrest of Hasina and 45 others over alleged crimes against humanity committed during the mass protests and subsequent government crackdown between July and August.

Weeks of demonstrations erupted across Bangladesh during the summer over the government’s proposed reform of its quota system, intending to reserve a third of civil service jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in the country’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

While the protests initially demanded the abolition of the reform, they quickly spiraled into a wider movement calling for her resignation.

Violence and unrest broke out as the government launched a crackdown against demonstrators. Human rights groups accused Hasina and her administration of using excessive force against protesters, allegations that she denied.

According to the interim health ministry, more than 1,000 people were killed during the unrest.

Amid the ongoing unrest, Hasina – in power for 15 years – resigned and fled to neighboring India in early August. She was replaced by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and economist Muhammad Yunus, who is currently leading the country’s interim government.

Prosecutors have said there are more than 60 complaints of crimes against humanity and genocide filed against Hasina and her formerly ruling Awami League party, according to the India-based Asian News Network.

Chief ICT prosecutor Islam said the former leader was “at the helm of those who committed massacres, killings and crimes against humanity in July to August.”

Hasina has not appeared in public since leaving Bangladesh, but her presence in India has angered Bangladesh.

She and the 45 individuals have to appear before the ICT by Nov. 18, but there are questions about whether she will be extradited.

India and Bangladesh have a bilateral extradition treaty that could require the former leader to return to face criminal trial. However, the agreement includes a clause that says extradition might be refused if the offense is of a “political character.”