Bangladesh Cancels Passports Of Sheikh Hasina And 96 Others Over Alleged Enforced Disappearances, Killings

Bangladesh has revoked the passports of 97 people, including former PM Sheikh Hasina, due to their alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and killings during student protests last year.

Bangladesh’s Department of Immigration and Passports on Tuesday cancelled the passports of 97 individuals, including ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, citing their alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and killings during the July-August student protests last year.

Azad Majumder, Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, disclosed during a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy that 22 of the cancellations were specifically linked to allegations of enforced disappearances, The Daily Star reported. He further stated that the remaining 75 passports, including that of Hasina, were revoked due to alleged involvement in the violent events of the uprising, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds.

Bangladesh News: Second Arrest Warrant Against Sheikh Hasina

This comes after Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) on Monday issued its second arrest warrant against Sheikh Hasina and 11 others, including former military generals and an ex-police chief, for their alleged roles in incidents of enforced disappearances. Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mojumdar, Chairman of the tribunal, issued the warrant following a prosecution plea.

An ICT official stated that the Inspector General of Police has been ordered to arrest the 12 individuals and present them before the tribunal on 12 February, news agency PTI reported. The case stems from complaints regarding enforced disappearances affecting hundreds. Among the accused are Major General (Retired) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, the former Defence Adviser to the ousted premier, who is currently in custody, and former Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed, believed to be absconding.

ICT Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam accused Hasina’s regime of establishing a culture of enforced disappearances under state sponsorship, claiming that those involved were rewarded. He identified agencies like the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the Detective Branch (DB) of the police, the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) as the key operatives in these activities.

“Over the past 15 years, a culture of fear was established in Bangladesh through enforced disappearances and crossfires. Thousands of people were abducted by various forces, either in plainclothes or in uniform. Most of them never returned,” Islam remarked to journalists, as quoted by PTI.

The ICT has instructed law enforcement agencies to submit the investigation report or a progress update by 12 February. Last month, Dhaka formally sought Hasina’s extradition from India, where she fled following the fall of her Awami League government after unprecedented anti-government protests in August 2023. New Delhi acknowledged the request but refrained from commenting further.

This latest warrant follows an earlier one issued on 17 October, which charged Hasina with genocide and crimes against humanity during the same protests. Since the fall of the Awami League regime, the tribunal has recorded at least 60 cases or complaints against Hasina, her party leaders, and senior law enforcement officials.

A provisional report by a commission formed by Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s interim government accused Hasina, her officials, and India of being complicit in incidents of enforced disappearances. The commission claimed that it had recorded 1,676 complaints of enforced disappearances, examined 758 of them, and found that 27 per cent of the victims never returned.