Dhaka:
The first witness to the trial of the former Bangladesh Minister Sheikh Hasina testified on Sunday, a man slaughtered in the face during demonstrations which overthrew her last year.
Hasina, 77, who challenged judicial orders to return from India to attend her trial for accusations showing crimes against humanity, is accused of having ordered a fatal repression in a failed attempt to crush the uprising led by students.
According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024.
The first witness, among the 11 cases that the accusation should present in court, was Khokon Chandra Barman, whose history reflects the violence of the demonstrations.
The 23 -year -old wears a mask to hide his face, which was torn by a shot when the demonstrations culminated on August 5, 2024, the same day that Hasina fled Dhaka as a helicopter.
“I want justice for the test I have experienced and for my colleagues demonstrators who sacrificed their lives,” he said in court.
Barman lost his left eye, while his right eye was damaged, as well as his lips, his nose and his teeth.
A video showing the face covered with bartender blood was played in court, the opening declarations broadcast on the state broadcaster.
Prosecutors have filed five accusations against Hasina – including warning mass murders – who constitute crimes against humanity under Bangladesh law.
“Sheikh Hasina was the nucleus around whom all the crimes committed during the uprising of July-August were running,” said Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam on Sunday.
Hasina is on trial in absentia alongside two other accused.
One, his former Minister of the Interior Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, is also a fugitive.
The other, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the former Police Inspector, is in detention. He pleaded guilty.
The attorney general MD Asiduzzaman said he wanted a “fair trial”, addressing journalists outside the court.
“People have been killed and mutilated – we demand the strongest sanction for the crimes committed,” said Asaduzzaman.
Amir Hossain, the lawyer appointed by the state for Hasina, noted that Barman had been shot down on the last chaotic day of the demonstrations of several weeks.
He stressed that several police officers were also killed in clashes with demonstrators and he was “clear who really fell bartender”.
Hossain said he was not in contact with Hasina, who refused to accept the authority of the court.
The trial continues.
