Bangladesh’s deposed leader Hasina accused in genocide case

Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina and nine others were accused of committing "genocide and crimes against humanity" during the weeks of violent protests that left hundreds of people dead before she was ousted, officials said on Wednesday.

"An investigation into the case has been launched as we formally registered a complaint in this connection," Ataur Rahman, a senior official at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), told local media.

The ICT is a Bangladeshi court specialized in prosecutions of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Once the investigation is completed, the ICT will pass its finding on to prosecutors to decide the next legal steps.

Gazi Tanim, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the complaint with the ICT on behalf of a father of a ninth grade student who was killed in police gunfire during a protest on August 5 on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Four senior members of Hasina's Cabinet, the country's former police chief, and three other police officers were also named in the case.

The petitioner claimed that the accused had directed, designed and carried out genocide and crimes against humanity by killing unarmed anti-government civilian protesters.

More than 500 people were reportedly killed during the month-long protests demanding an end to discriminatory government job quota system which eventually turned into a mass uprising against Hasina's government.