Founded by Hasina, Bangladesh crime tribunal summons ex-army chief, 19 others for 'crimes against humanity'

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh has summoned 20 individuals, including former army chief Ziaul Ahsan, 10 ex-ministers, a retired Supreme Court judge, and two advisers to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to appear before the court in November, The Daily Star reported.

The hearings are scheduled for November 18 and 20.

The summons is in connection with alleged crimes against humanity and genocide during the July-August uprising in the country, which resulted in the deaths of at least 753 people and injuries to thousands, according to the Bangladesh interim government.

The ICT prosecution team and the interim government have termed these incidents as "crimes against humanity and genocide," with over 60 complaints filed against Hasina and her party leaders so far.

Earlier, on October 17, the tribunal also issued arrest warrants against Sheikh Hasina and 45 others, including her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and several of her former cabinet members.

The order to produce the 20 individuals before the ICT on November 18 was issued by a three-member bench led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder, following an application from chief prosecutor Md Tajul Islam.

The International Crimes Tribunal was formed by the Hasina-led Awami League government itself in March 2010 to try perpetrators of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. The Hasina government later formed ICT-2, and at least six Jamaat-e-Islami and leaders of Hasina's political arch rival Khaleeda Zia's BNP party were executed following the judgments of the two tribunals. However, the tribunal had remained inactive since mid-June after its chairman retired.

The interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus reconstituted the tribunal on October 12.