Thousands demonstrate in Bangladesh to demand the trial of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina News

The government of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is accused of killing hundreds of demonstrators last summer.

Thousands of people demonstrated in the Bangladeshi capital to demand the prosecution of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and those responsible for the deaths of hundreds in a mass uprising against her government in July.

The anti-discrimination student movement organized what it called a “march for unity” on Tuesday at the Central Shaheed Minar, a national monument in Dhaka. The demonstrators chanted slogans demanding Hasina’s trial and the banning of her party, the Awami League.

Hasina fled to India on August 5 after weeks of violence in which authorities said hundreds of people were killed and thousands more injured on the orders of her government. The uprising ended the 15-year rule of the country’s longest-serving prime minister, who began a fourth consecutive term in January after elections boycotted by opposition parties.

Last week, Bangladesh sent a formal request to India for Hasina’s extradition. It faces several court cases over the killing of protesters, including some for crimes against humanity.

“Since August 5, we have no enemies in Bangladesh. Our only enemy is the Awami League,” Hasnat Abdullah, an organizer of the student movement, said while addressing the crowd.

The demonstrators also urged the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to issue an official declaration by January 15 representing the uprising.

Student leaders want the declaration to include two main demands: a new constitution after scrapping the current charter, which was passed under Hasina’s father in 1972, and a ban on the Awami League.

Hasina’s party has ruled Bangladesh since 2009.

The Dhaka-based International Crimes Court has already issued arrest warrants for Hasina and her close aides, and the government has requested assistance from the international police organization Interpol in seeking her arrest.

Speaking from the United States, Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wajid, questioned the credibility of the court and described the charges against her as a “political witch hunt.”

At the same time, the interim government promised to prosecute Hasina and others in her administration on charges related to the killing of protesters, and called on the United Nations to help investigate the killings.

Hasina also called for an investigation, saying that many of the deaths may have involved parties other than security agencies.