A tribunal in Bangladesh has issued an arrest warrant for Sajeeb Wazed, the son of the country's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. The warrant, issued on Thursday, relates to formal charges of committing crimes against humanity during last year's violent street protests.
Warrant for American Citizen and Co-Accused
The International Crimes Tribunal accepted charges against Mr Wazed, a 54-year-old American citizen, alongside three former officials. The co-accused are former state minister for information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, former law minister Anisul Huq, and former investment adviser Salman F Rahman. The three are already in custody, with the tribunal ordering prison authorities to present them in court on 10 December.
Mr Wazed, who was an advisor to his mother during her premiership, is accused of involvement in the violent suppression of demonstrations that ultimately toppled the government. He obtained American citizenship in May of this year after residing in North America for many years.
Death Sentence for Former Leader and Related Cases
This development follows closely on the heels of a severe ruling against his mother. Last month, the same tribunal handed down a death sentence to Sheikh Hasina, finding her guilty of crimes against humanity for overseeing the lethal crackdown on protesters. United Nations estimates suggest the government's response resulted in up to 1,400 deaths.
In that case, her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, also received a death sentence. A former police chief, who turned state witness and pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five years in prison. This ruling concluded the first of four criminal cases examining alleged abuses from the government's response to last summer's agitation.
Corruption Sentences and Wider Fallout
The legal actions against the former first family extend beyond the tribunal's remit. Last week, Sheikh Hasina was sentenced in absentia to 21 years in prison across three separate corruption cases linked to the illegal acquisition of government land for herself and her family. Her children, Sajeeb Wazed and Saima Wazed, each received five-year sentences in one of these corruption cases.
Hasina has consistently rejected the tribunal's verdict, labelling it a "rigged tribunal" operated by an "unelected government with no democratic mandate." In a statement from her Awami League party, she insisted the proceedings were "biased and politically motivated."
The unrest forced Hasina to flee to India on 5 August after 16 years in power, with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus taking over as interim leader three days later.
In a related case with international ramifications, a Bangladesh court this week sentenced UK Labour MP Tulip Siddiq to two years in prison for corruption involving a government land project. Siddiq, who is Hasina's niece, was found guilty of corruptly influencing her aunt to help her mother, Sheikh Rehana, acquire land near Dhaka. Siddiq denounced the trial as "flawed and farcical." She resigned as the British anti-corruption minister in January after these cases were brought against her in Bangladesh.
