Bangladesh's interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, has revoked the passport of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The announcement was made in Dhaka on Tuesday, stating that Hasina's passport is among those of 97 individuals whose travel documents have been cancelled due to criminal proceedings against them.
Of these individuals, 22 face charges related to enforced disappearances, while 75 are accused of involvement in killings during last year’s student protests in Bangladesh.
This move follows a recent decision by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which issued arrest warrants for Hasina and 11 others. The charges involve extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances that allegedly occurred during her tenure as prime minister. The tribunal has set a deadline of February 12 for the accused, including Hasina, to be arrested and brought before the court.
The arrest warrants were issued during a hearing on January 6. Among those facing charges are Major General (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddique, Hasina's former defense advisor, former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, and former Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center Ziaul Ahsan.
The violent unrest that followed Hasina's government’s fall resulted in over 230 deaths, contributing to a total of more than 600 fatalities since the student protests against a controversial government job quota system began in July.
Hasina, the leader of the Awami League, left Bangladesh on August 5 of last year and sought refuge in India.