Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina checks her watch as she waits for the official opening time to cast her vote in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Participants, mostly students, shout slogans during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Participants, mostly students, carry placards and shout slogans during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Participants, mostly students, shout slogans during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Participants wave Bangladesh national flags during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina checks her watch as she waits for the official opening time to cast her vote in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
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Participants, mostly students, shout slogans during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Participants, mostly students, carry placards and shout slogans during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Participants, mostly students, shout slogans during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Participants wave Bangladesh national flags during "March for Unity" organized by The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of people led by students rallied in Bangladesh’s capital on Tuesday, calling for the prosecution of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and those responsible for hundreds of deaths in a mass uprising against her government in July.
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement organized the “March for Unity†at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument in Dhaka. Protesters chanted slogans calling for Hasina’s trial and the banning of her Awami League party.
Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 after weeks of violence in which authorities say hundreds of people were killed and thousands more injured on orders of her government. The uprising of the country’s longest-serving prime minister, who began a fourth consecutive term in January following an election boycotted by the major opposition parties.
Last week, Bangladesh sent a formal request to India to She faces many court cases over the deaths of protesters, including some on charges of crimes against humanity.
“Since August 5, we have no more enemies in Bangladesh. Our only enemy is the Awami League,†Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the student movement, said while addressing the crowd.
Protesters also urged the interim government headed by to issue a formal proclamation by Jan. 15 detailing the events of the uprising.
The student leaders want the proclamation to include two key demands: a new constitution after the 1972 charter, which was enacted under Hasina’s father, has been abolished, and a ban on the Awami League party.
Hasina’s Awami League had ruled Bangladesh for 15 years, since 2009.
The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal has already issued and her close aides, and the government has sought help from the international police organization .
Speaking from the U.S., Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, has questioned credibility of the tribunal and called charges against her a “political witch hunt."
Meanwhile, the interim government has promised to try Hasina and others in her administration for alleged crimes involving the deaths of protesters and has invited the to help investigate the killings.
, saying many deaths may have involved others beyond security agencies.
