Hasina ordered to ‘shoot directly,’ says ICT Chief Prosecutor

The Chief Prosecutor of International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has claimed that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed law enforcement agencies to use lethal weapons and 'shoot directly' to suppress the July-August 2024 mass uprising.

Aminul Islam made the allegation during a press conference held at his office on Sunday. He said the instruction came during a conversation between Sheikh Hasina and then Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.

“The directive was clear and open. She instructed them to use lethal weapons and shoot straight wherever protesters were found,” Islam said, describing the order as “inhuman and horrific” for a head of government. 

He added that such instructions led to indiscriminate firing on students and civilians across the country, resulting in thousands of deaths.

The Chief Prosecutor was speaking after the International Crimes Tribunal formally framed charges of crimes against humanity against 28 individuals for the killing of nine people in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area on July 18 and 19, 2024. The charges include superior command responsibility, individual criminal responsibility, and targeted killing.

According to the prosecution, drones and helicopters were used to fire indiscriminately on protesters in Mohammadpur during those two days, causing numerous casualties. Islam highlighted the brutal killing of a young protester named Faiyaz, saying the incident deeply moved the entire nation.

The tribunal has set June 8 as the date to begin recording evidence in the case.

The development is part of ongoing investigations and trials by the International Crimes Tribunal into alleged atrocities committed during the 2024 Student-People’s Uprising that eventually led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.