Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, revoked the passport of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 96 others on Tuesday. The decision comes amid ongoing criminal proceedings linked to the violent crackdown on student protests in July and August 2024.
Among the 97 individuals whose passports were revoked, 22 face charges of involvement in enforced disappearances, while 75 are accused of participating in killings during the protests. The move follows arrest warrants issued by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against Sheikh Hasina and 11 other officials on charges of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during her tenure.
The tribunal has set a deadline of February 12, 2024, for Hasina and the other accused to be arrested and presented before the court. Key accused figures include Major General (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddique, Hasina’s former defense advisor; ex-Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed; and Ziaul Ahsan, former Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center.
The crackdown on protests, which began over a controversial quota system in government jobs, resulted in widespread violence. Over 230 people were killed following the fall of the Hasina government, raising the death toll to more than 600 since the protests erupted in mid-July 2024.
Hasina, the leader of the Awami League, left Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, and has since sought refuge in India. The revocation of her passport is expected to complicate her stay in India and limit her ability to travel internationally.
The interim government has intensified its investigations into alleged human rights violations under Hasina’s administration, aiming to hold those responsible accountable for the unrest and violence.
