Bangladesh begins murder trial of student activist Abu Sayeed

Dhaka: Bangladesh on Monday commenced the murder trial of student activist Abu Sayeed, wmhose death during an anti-government protest last year ignited a nationwide movement leading to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime.

Sayeed, a 23-year-old student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, was shot dead by police on July 16 last year during demonstrations against the then Hasina government.

Videos and photos of Sayeed, showing him standing with arms outstretched before being shot, was widely broadcast, fuelling nationwide public outrage.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) accepted the prosecution’s charges against 30 individuals, including former vice chancellor of Begum Rokeya University Hasibur Rashid, court officials said.

The tribunal issued arrest warrants for 26 of the accused, while four — the university’s former proctor, two policemen, and a leader of now disbanded Awami League’s student front Chhatra League — are already in jail.

Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam submitted a charge sheet, alleging that Sayeed’s killing was part of a systematic crackdown ordered by the then-prime minister and executed by senior police officials.

The tribunal accepted the charges and issued the warrants.

“We have stated in the tribunal that Sheikh Hasina ordered the then home minister to use lethal weapons. The then Inspector General of Police carried out the instruction, and the forces on the ground, under senior police officers, executed the order,” Islam later told journalists.

He said senior members of the university administration also played an active role to quash the student protest.

The protests, organised by the Students against Discrimination (SAD), initially demanded reforms in the quota system in government jobs. The campaign later turned into a violent movement leading to the ouster of the Hasina-led government in August 2024.

According to a UN report, approximately 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year as violence continued even after the fall of the Awami League government.

Following the upheaval, Hasina fled to India on August 5, and several former ministers and senior government officials are now facing charges related to the crackdown.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, 85, took charge of the interim government three days later.