On August 5 last year, Bangladesh witnessed the end of Sheikh Hasina’s 16-year rule as the Awami League supremo was brought down by a violent mass uprising. Now, nearly ten months after the fall of her government, the former prime minister is facing trial in absentia for crimes against humanity.

On Sunday, the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) formally indicted Hasina alongside two key figures from her administration—former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, for their alleged roles in orchestrating a brutal crackdown on student-led protests.

According to reports from the Dhaka Tribune, the charges include mass murder and the use of excessive force to suppress dissent during last year’s unrest. The tribunal’s three-judge panel officially took cognizance of the charges and issued a new arrest warrant for both Hasina and Kamal. Meanwhile, Mamun remains in custody and is expected to stand trial in person.Sunday’s proceedings were broadcast live on national television.

The ICT-BD earlier issued an arrest warrant against Hasina while the interim government sought her repatriation from India in a diplomatic note. New Delhi has only acknowledged receipt with no further comment.

Most senior leaders and officials of Hasina’s party and government were arrested to face charges like mass murder during the July-August protests last year that left hundreds of people, including students and policemen, dead.

According to a UN rights office report, some 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year as violence continued even after the fall of Hasina's Awami League regime.