Hasina, journos sued for inciting genocide

Court Correspondent :

A complaint has been filed with the International Crimes Tribunal against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 52 others, including 28 journalists, for allegedly inciting genocide during the anti-discrimination student movement.

Supreme Court lawyer Gazi H M Tamim lodged the complaint on behalf of Abdur Razzak, father of Nasib Hasan Riyan, a student killed in the protests. The complaint was submitted to the tribunal’s investigation agency.

The journalists named in the complaint include Mozammel Babu, Saiful Alam, Noyeem Nizam, Farida Yasmin, Shyamol Dutta, Abden Khan, Prabash Amin, Farzana Rupa, Shakil Ahmed, Mithila Farzana, Zayadul Ahsan Pintu, Nabanita Chowdhury, Subhash Singh Roy , Ahmed Zobair, Tushar Abdullah Monjurul Islam, Ashish Saikat, Manash Ghosh, Pranab Saha, Masuda Bhatti, Munni Saha, Joy E Mamun, Swadesh Roy, Soma Islam, Shyamal Sarkar and Ajay Das.

The complaint alleges that the nationwide student movement, which began on July 1, 2024, was triggered by demands for reforms in the quota system for government jobs. It claims that during a press conference on July 14, Sheikh Hasina made inflammatory statements, instructing law enforcement and Awami League leaders to suppress the protests.

This, the complaint argues, led to widespread violence and was exacerbated by provocative questions from the named journalists, who allegedly labeled the students as “collaborators” and “terrorists,” inciting further aggression.

The complaint also includes former ministers and law enforcement officials as defendants.