The newly appointed chief prosecutor of Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) announced Sunday that the country will initiate steps to extradite deposed PM Sheikh Hasina from India to face trial on charges of genocide during the student-led uprising that culminated in her 15-year administration's overthrow on Aug 5.
"Bangladesh has a criminal extradition treaty with India. She will be brought back to the country in line with that agreement. Not just Hasina, but all those involved in the massacre will be officially tried," said chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam, who has a Jamaat-e-Islami background.
As a Supreme Court advocate, Islam had served as deputy to barrister Abdur Razzaque, who led the legal defence team for former Jamaat leaders facing war crime charges at ICT. After Razzaque fled to UK fearing arrest during Hasina's Awami League administration, Islam assumed the role of lead counsel for Jamaat's defence.
Hasina prime suspect in most of genocide cases: Top prosecutor He is also a key figure in Amar Bangladesh party, founded by Jamaat-Shibir members.
Islam said Hasina is the prime suspect in most of the genocide cases and crimes against humanity. "The biggest challenge right now is to preserve the evidence and bring it into the legal framework to prove the cases," he said, warning of attempts to destroy evidence of the killings that took place in July.