Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday said his government intends to pursue charges of crimes against humanity against the Sheikh Hasina regime at the International Criminal Court for the massacre they committed during the July mass uprising and the cases of enforced disappearances during her 16-year rule.

He said this while ICC prosecutor Karim A Khan visited him at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka on Wednesday.

In response, Karim A Khan said the ICC would like to extend cooperation to the International Crimes Tribunal, the Bangladesh court, which is dealing with the cases related to crimes committed during the mass uprising, according to the chief adviser’s press wing.

The ICT has already issued an arrest warrant against Sheikh Hasina and members of her political party.

Separately, a senior lawyer of ICC said the international court is ready to assist ICT if requested by Bangladesh.

“The ICC has always said that it is available to assist states in terms of technical support, training, and guidance when requested,” said Essa Mbye Faal while responding to a question at a press briefing in Dhaka.

“With this level of cooperation, if Bangladesh were to seek assistance, the Office would be more than happy to oblige,” said the ICC lawyer.

During the talks in the state guest house Jamuna, the chief adviser and the ICC prosecutor also discussed the Rohingya crisis, the situation in Myanmar, and humanitarian efforts for the Rohingyas.

The prosecutor informed the chief adviser that his office has formally sought an arrest warrant against Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the Myanmar military government, for crimes against humanity regarding the treatment of the Rohingyas.

Karim Khan backed the chief adviser’s call to hold a special global conference on the Rohingya crisis which the UN General Assembly has agreed to hold the conference in 2025. He said he hoped a new direction to a sustainable resolution to the crisis would be found at the conference.

The chief adviser said the conference would bring all the international stakeholders to a table to seek a durable solution to the crisis, especially the plight of the Rohingyas and their young children in the camps in Bangladesh.

“We have to make sure that it does not explode,” Professor Yunus said, referring to the young people growing up without hope in the camps.

The chief adviser reiterated his recent call for a safe zone inside the Rakhine state of Myanmar to aid displaced people and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

“The safety of the zone should be guaranteed by the UN. When the fighting stops, people who live in the safe zone can easily return to their localities,” he said.

Khaliliur Rahman, the High Representative on Rohingya affairs, Lamiya Morshed, principal coordinator of the SDGs affairs, and Riaz Hamidullah, the additional secretary of the foreign ministry, were present during the meeting.

Earlier, the High Representative on Rohingya Affairs, Khalilur Rahman, hosted a luncheon for the ICC prosecutor and the members of his ICC team.

“Bangladesh is among the first Asian signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, and we look forward to further deepening our cooperation in the coming days,” Rahman said.

-In Association with ANN