DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court remanded in custody on Wednesday 15 high-ranking army officers on charges of enforced disappearances and atrocities committed during the 2024 uprising that toppled the government. It is first time that formal charges have been brought for enforced disappearances in Bangladesh, and the first time so many senior military officials have faced a civilian trial. The men, including five generals, are accused of running a secret detention centre during the tenure of the now-ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina. All have served in Bangladeshi military intelligence or the feared paramilitary Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Defence lawyer Sarwar Hossain said all rejected the charges. The army has said it will assist the judicial process, but the situation has been tense since the court issued arrest warrants earlier this month. &quot;They declared their allegiance to the law of the land and their respect for the judicial process,&quot; the court&#39;s chief prosecutor Tajul Islam told reporters. &quot;That was reflected in the cooperation they have extended.&quot; UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk, in a statement on October 15, said that the court process was an important step towards accountability. &quot;It is a significant moment for victims and their families,&quot; Turk said. The officers were brought by a prison van to the court, guarded by a heavy deployment of police. &quot;These officers are confident of their innocence, and believe they will be released through due judicial process,&quot; their lawyer Hossain said. Bangladesh is prosecuting former senior figures connected to Hasina -- now a fugitive in exile in India -- and her now-banned Awami League party. Up to 1,400 people were killed in the clashes between July and August 2024 as the security forces tried to quash anti-government protests, according to the United Nations. During Hasina&#39;s rule, RAB forces carried out scores of killings, and the organisation was sanctioned by the United States in 2021. Hasina, 78, fled last year to New Delhi, where she has defied court orders to return to attend her ongoing crimes against humanity trial for ordering the deadly crackdown. Her trial in absentia is in its final stages, with Hasina&#39;s state-appointed defence giving closing arguments. The prosecution have demanded the death penalty for Hasina. Hasina&#39;s Awami League says that she &quot;categorically&quot; denies the charges.

Police personnel escort detained army officers to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) court in Dhaka on October 22, 2025, over charges of crimes against humanity. (AFP)

Bangladesh

It is first time that formal charges have been brought for enforced disappearances in Bangladesh, and the first time so many senior military officials have faced a civilian trial.

Bangladesh court detains army officers for landmark trial

DHAKA: Bangladeshi prosecution lawyers demanded on Thursday that fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina receive the death penalty in her trial for crimes against humanity. Hasina has defied court orders to return from India, where she fled last year, to face charges of ordering a deadly crackdown in a failed attempt to crush a student-led uprising. Up to 1,400 people were killed in the clashes between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations. &quot;We demand the highest punishment for her,&quot; chief prosecutor Tajul Islam told reporters outside court. &quot;For a single murder, one death penalty is the rule. For 1,400 murders, she should be sentenced 1,400 times -- but since that is not humanly possible, we demand at least one.&quot; The prosecution alleges that Hasina, 78, was &quot;the nucleus around whom all the crimes committed during the July&ndash;August uprising revolved&quot;. She is being tried in absentia alongside two former senior officials. Her ex-interior minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, is also a fugitive, while former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is in custody and has pleaded guilty. The prosecution said on Thursday that Kamal should also face the death penalty. The trial, which opened on June 1, has heard months of testimony alleging Hasina&#39;s role in ordering or failing to prevent mass killings. &quot;Her goal was to cling to power permanently -- for herself and her family,&quot; Islam said.

In this handout photograph taken and released on July 25, 2024 by Bangladesh Prime Minister's Office, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addresses the media at a vandalized metro station in Mirpur, after the anti-quota protests. (AFP)

Hasina has defied court orders to return from India, where she fled last year, to face charges of ordering a deadly crackdown in a failed attempt to crush a student-led uprising.

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Bangladesh court detains army officers for landmark trial

Bangladesh prosecution demands death penalty for ex-PM Hasina