Bangladesh tribunal tells investigators to finish probe against ousted premier Hasina by next month

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A special tribunal in Bangladesh on Monday told investigators they have one month to complete their work on ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her close aides, who face charges of crimes against humanity after hundreds of people were killed in a mass uprising this summer.

Golam Mortuza Majumdar, the head judge of the three-member International Crimes Tribunal, set Dec. 17 for investigators to finish their work, as the tribunal heard updates Monday from police about what the country's security agencies have done to arrest Hasina and her close aides.

The decision came after prosecutors sought more time for the investigation.

Mohammed Tajul Islam, chief prosecutor of the tribunal, told the judges during Monday's hearing that they were working in line with an extradition treaty signed earlier with India to make Hasina's return possible.

Hasina has been living in exile in India since Aug. 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests. The Dhaka-based tribunal on Oct. 17 issued arrest warrants for Hasina and 45 others, including former Cabinet ministers, advisers and military and civil officials. The country is now being run by an interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus.

At least 13 people, including a former law minister and a businessman who was Hasina’s private-sector adviser, appeared before the tribunal on Monday, said B.M. Sultan Mahmud, a prosecutor at the tribunal. One former Cabinet minister was not brought to the tribunal as he was in custody for police interrogation in a separate case. A further six people will appear on Wednesday, tribunal officials said. At least 20 suspects have been arrested in the case.

The tribunal will also seek updates from police on their progress in arresting the other suspects, including Hasina.

After the hearing on Monday, the tribunal’s head judge ordered authorities to send all 13 suspects to jail, pending investigation.

The chief prosecutor of the tribunal has already sought help from Interpol through the country’s police chief to arrest Hasina. On Sunday, Yunus said in an address to the nation that his administration would seek Hasina's extradition from India.

Authorities say hundreds of people were killed during the uprising in July and August, mainly by security agents seeking to quell the initial protests over government jobs. The violence intensified as the protests morphed into an anti-government movement, with more bloodshed, ending Hasina’s 15-year rule. Hasina had also earlier sought an investigation into the killings.

FILE- 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, File)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning president swore in a 22-member Cabinet on Monday after his party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority in last week’s election.

The margin of victory will allow President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to make sweeping reforms, including a campaign promise of a new constitution, without needing support from other parties.

Sri Lanka is struggling to emerge from the worst economic crisis in its history, having declared bankruptcy after defaulting on its external debt in 2022.

Dissanayake’s National People’s Power Party won 159 of the 225 seats in Thursday's vote.

He kept a pledge to have fewer than 25 Cabinet members, and a majority of the new ministers are first-time lawmakers. Dissanayake retained the post of defense and finance minister.

He also reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister. Amarasuriya, 54, was first appointed in September after Dissanayake won the presidential election and that made her the first woman to head the government in 24 years.

Vijitha Herath was reappointed as minister of foreign affairs and tourism.

Dissanayake was elected president on Sept. 21 in a rejection of traditional political parties that have governed the island nation since its independence from British rule in 1948.

He has promised he would propose significant changes to the targets set in the IMF bailout deal signed by his predecessor, Ranil Wickremesinghe, saying it placed too much burden on the people. However, he has since said Sri Lanka will go along with the agreement, with debt restructuring with international creditors nearly complete.

Voters were also drawn by the NPP’s cry for change in the political culture and an end to corruption, because they perceived the parties that ruled Sri Lanka so far caused the economic collapse.

Dissanayake’s promise to punish members of previous governments accused of corruption and to recover allegedly stolen assets also raised people's hopes.

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Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, center, leaves after casting his vote during the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake shows his finger as he leaves after casting his vote during the parliamentary election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)