Bangladesh’s Ousted Leader Sheikh Hasina Faces New Arrest Warrant

A special court in Bangladesh on Sunday issued an arrest warrant for the ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, as prosecutors sought to hold her accountable for the deaths of more than a thousand protesters in the final months of her authoritarian rule.

The International Crimes Tribunal, which Ms. Hasina set up in 2010 to look into war crimes of decades past, charged Ms. Hasina, the former prime minister, and several of her top lieutenants with a long list of roles in the mass killings, including incitement, facilitation and conspiracy.

While the toppled leader has faced arrest warrants in other cases, these are the gravest of charges against her so far. The tribunal’s chief prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Islam, accused Ms. Hasina of unleashing systematic violence against peaceful protesters last July before she fled the country and sought refuge in India, where she remains.

While Ms. Hasina’s years of crushing dissent, which culminated with last summer’s deadly crackdown, are well-documented, the trial comes at a particularly fraught political moment in Bangladesh.

The interim administration that replaced her is accused by opposition parties of delaying elections for her replacement. Muhammad Yunus, the 84-year-old Nobel Laureate who is leading the interim government, is facing pressure from opposition parties to hold the vote by December. He has pushed for more months beyond that, saying the extra time is needed to reform election procedures and deliver a fairer vote.

The court’s proceedings were televised live for the first time in the country’s history. All of the accused were absent.