The first witness at the trial of the fugitive Minister of First of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, gave evidence on Sunday, a man shot in the face during the protests that knocked her down last year.
Hasina, 77, who has challenged the judicial orders to return from India to attend his judgment for charges that amount to crimes against humanity, is accused of ordering mortal repression in a failed offer to crush the uprising directed by the students.
Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations.
The first witness, among the 11 cases that the Prosecutor’s Office is expected to be presented to the Court, was Khokon Chandra Barman, whose history reflects the violence of the protests.
The 23 -year -old uses a mask to hide his face, which was destroyed by a shot during the culmination of the protests on August 5, 2024, the same day Hasina fled Dhaka by helicopter.
“I want justice for the terrible experience that I have been going through, and for my fellow protesters who sacrificed their lives,” he told the Court.
Buman lost his left eye, while his right eye was damaged, as well as his lips, nose and teeth. A video that shows the face covered with Blarman’s blood was reproduced in the Court, with the opening statements transmitted in the state station.
Prosecutors have filed five charges against Hasina, including the failure to prevent mass murder, equivalent to crimes against humanity under Bangladesh’s law.
“Sheikh Hasina was the nucleus in which all the crimes committed during the July of August turned,” the main prosecutor Islam said on Sunday the court on Sunday.
Hasina is in trial in absence along with two other defendants.
One, its former Interior Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, is also a fugitive. The other, Chowdhury Abdullah al-Mamun, former police inspector general, is in custody. He declared himself guilty.
Attorney General MD Asaduzzaman said he wanted a “fair trial,” speaking with journalists outside the court.
“People were killed and mutilated, we demand the highest punishment for the crimes committed,” said Asaduzzaman.
Amir Hossain, the lawyer appointed by Hasina, said Buman was shot during the chaotic day of the protests of a week.
He pointed out that several police officers were also killed in clashes with protesters and it was not clear who shot Blome. “
Hossain said he was not in contact with Hasina, who has refused to accept the authority of the Court.
