Summary:
- BNP files formal complaint with Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal alleging 848 killings (524 activists + 324 relatives) during July-August 2024 anti-government protests
- Accuses former PM Sheikh Hasina, 3 ex-ministers, and security chiefs of systematic political suppression through live fire, torture, and edged weapons
- Submits nationwide FIR copies as evidence – second major legal action after January petition citing 2,276 extrajudicial killings
- Claims violence meets “crimes against humanity” criteria under tribunal jurisdiction – no government response yet
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) filed a formal complaint with Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on 13 February 2025, alleging state-sponsored killings of 848 party members and their relatives during last year’s July-August anti-government protests. The opposition party accuses former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and four senior ex-officials of orchestrating a systematic campaign to “destroy and eliminate BNP as a political party.”
Md Salauddin Khan PPM, the BNP’s coordinator for human rights violations documentation, submitted the petition to the tribunal’s chief prosecutor on behalf of party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. The 848 victims include 524 confirmed BNP activists and 324 relatives of party members, according to party records spanning July 2024 to 5 August 2024.
The complaint names former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former Law Minister Anisul Huq, and two top former security officials – ex-Police Chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and former Rapid Action Battalion Director General – as primary suspects. It alleges security forces used live ammunition, torture, and edged weapons against protesters during the student-led uprising demanding electoral reforms.
This marks the BNP’s second major legal action in six weeks, following a 9 January petition claiming 2,276 extrajudicial killings and 153 enforced disappearances of members since 2024. Prosecutors received copies of first information reports (FIRs) filed nationwide regarding the newly cited 848 casualties, though tribunal officials have not commented on whether they’ll open an investigation.
The opposition party maintains the violence constituted crimes against humanity under the International Crimes Tribunal’s jurisdiction, arguing the alleged killings formed part of a coordinated strategy to suppress political dissent. No government response has been issued to the latest allegations as of publication.
