The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Tuesday began hearing on charge framing against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in a case over committing crimes against humanity during the July–August mass uprising in 2024.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam presented five specific charges before the three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder.

State-appointed defence counsel Amir Hossain sought a week’s time to prepare, prompting the tribunal to adjourn proceedings until July 7 for submission of the defence argument.

This is the first formal charge against Sheikh Hasina and the second case under the reconstituted tribunal by the interim government of professor Mohammad Yunus.

Hasina’s name has appeared in hundreds of complaints over enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other serious violations committed during her 15-year rule, now pending with the ICT for investigation, according to the prosecutors.

The first charge alleged that Sheikh Hasina’s provocative remarks at a July 14, 2024, press conference at Ganabhaban and the subsequent actions and involvement of Asaduzzaman Khan, Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, senior officials, and subordinates, including law enforcement agency officials and armed Awami League cadres amounted to abetment, incitement, facilitation, complicity, conspiracy and failure to prevent widespread and systematic attacks on unarmed students and civilians and conspiracy, and such crimes were committed with their common knowledge.

The second charge alleged that Sheikh Hasina ordered the extermination of demonstrators using helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons against student-led civilians, while co-accused Asaduzzaman and Mamun committed crimes against humanity by conspiring, facilitating, and executing the July–August atrocities in furtherance of her directive.

The third charge accused Sheikh Hasina, Asaduzzaman, and Mamun of committing crimes against humanity by ordering, abetting, inciting, and conspiring in the killing of unarmed Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayeed, who was shot in the chest in front of the university campus during the July 16, 2024 protest.

The fourth charge accuses Sheikh Hasina, Asaduzzaman Khan, and Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun of committing crimes against humanity over the killing of six demonstrators by law enforcement at Chankharpool on August 5, 2024, an act the prosecutors say was part of a systematic crackdown incited by Hasina’s public call to use lethal force against protesters.

The fifth charge alleges that Hasina, Asaduzzamna and Mamun committed crimes against humanity by killing unarmed six students and people, five of them were burnt after shooting to death and one injured protester was burnt alive, in front of Ashulia police station at Savar on August 5, 2024, and trying to hide the bodies by a pickup van. All the six victims were burnt by dousing them with petrol, the chargesheet added.

According to the charge sheet, Hasina has been named as the prime accused and designated the ‘instigator and superior commander’ who orchestrated and oversaw the state-led crackdown between July 1, 2024 and August 5, 2024, the day when the Awami League regime was ousted from power and the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India.

The Investigation Agency submitted their probe repot against Hasina, Asaduzzaman and Mamun to the ICT chief prosecutor’s office on May 12.