The human rights organization ‘Justice for Bangladesh’ has written to UK Foreign Minister David Lemmy to bring former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for killing and violence during the student movement in Bangladesh.

In the letter sent to David Lemmy on Wednesday, the UK-based organization urged him to take the issue of human rights violations in Bangladesh in the last few weeks to the International Criminal Court.

The letter said, UK wants to see Bangladesh as a peaceful and democratic country. The people of the two countries share deep ties and both countries share commonwealth values. The most effective body for international investigation and prosecution is the International Criminal Court.

The letter also said that as the United Kingdom and Bangladesh are both members of the ICC, it is possible to ensure the trial of Sheikh Hasina and her associates through the organization. Therefore, Justice for Bangladesh hopes that the United Kingdom will take this initiative as a country that respects human rights.

Their efforts will continue until the completion of Sheikh Hasina’s trial, said the three coordinators of the organization, lawyer Barrister Michael Pollack, former head of Amnesty International South Asia Abbas Faiz and broadcaster and political analyst on Bangladesh Ataullah Farooq.

It was informed by the organization that there was a massacre of protesting students in Bangladesh and it was done on the orders of the then Bangladesh government. There is ample evidence that the killings were carried out on the orders of the current deposed Bangladeshi ruler. Referring to a video released on August 12, it is said that a Bangladeshi police officer is seen talking to the then interior minister. The officer there says, ‘When we fire, one person is killed and another is injured. Even if only one reads, the others don’t go sir. This, sir, is of the greatest horror.’

Justice for Bangladesh claims there is evidence that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the armed forces to continue using lethal weapons until she fled the country. The officials of the then Bangladesh government may be guilty of this crime against humanity. Apart from this, more than 600 people went missing during Sheikh Hasina’s regime.

The organization also said the then government of Bangladesh had consistently lied about the existence of secret detentions and torture. However, the existence of such secret torture cells known as ‘mirror’ has been confirmed. After Sheikh Hasina escaped from Bangladesh, many people returned from these secret torture cells on August 6. The victims gave harrowing descriptions of the torture inflicted on them. They can now provide evidence about crimes against humanity such as illegal abductions, enforced disappearances and torture.