Bangladesh court to hear charges against Hasina in sedition case on June 17

Dhaka’s third additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Moin Uddin Chowdhury fixed a date of June 17, allowing the defense to request more time, state-run BSS news agency reported on Wednesday.

The case involves allegations that the accused were involved in anti-national activities and plotted to overthrow the then interim government led by Muhammad Yunus by participating in a virtual “Joy Bengal Brigade” meeting held on December 19, 2024.

The meeting, which had 577 participants from around the world, allegedly included a pledge to incite rebellion and reinstate Hasina as prime minister.

Joy Bangla Brigade is a staunch supporter of Hasina’s Awami League party and the legacy of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Of the 286 accused, 259, including Hasina, remain at large and are being tried in absentia.

The court had previously issued a notice in October last year requiring fugitives to appear in court.

Those named in the case include former MPs Sabina Akhter Tuhin, Pankaj Nath and Syeda Rubina Akter, Awami League Vice Chairman Dr Rabi Alam, Joy Bangladesh Brigade member Kabir Islam, Bangladesh Chhatra League chief Saddam Hussain, and several lawyers and academics.

The case was filed by CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Md Enamul Haque in March last year after approval from the Home Ministry. Charge sheets were filed against 286 defendants in August, and the court subsequently issued arrest warrants for all of them.

Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, following massive student-led protests across the country. On August 8 of the same year, Yunus took office as head of the interim government.

Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special court for “crimes against humanity” in November last year over her government’s brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024.

This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.