An Australian university is reviewing an honorary degree given to former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been accused of crimes against humanity for allegedly overseeing massacres and disappearances.
The Australian National University’s honorary committee is considering revoking the honorary doctorate of law given to Hasina back in 1999, although it has stopped short of committing to any decision before a larger review of its processes is complete, per the AAP.
The confirmation came days after an arrest warrant was issued for the former politician following allegations of abusing political power by Bangladesh’s anti-corruption commission.
In October 2024, Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal also issued an arrest warrant after she fled to India months earlier amid mass country-wide protests.
Hasina served as prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024.
She is facing charges of genocide and murder, among others, and has denied the allegations.
In February, the UN Human Rights Office found the repression of mass protests in the country last year — that led to the resignation of the longtime prime minister — left as many as 1,400 people dead in just 46 days. The vast majority were shot by security forces, according to UN human rights chief Volker Türk.
Alleged crimes against the student-led protest included “hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrest and detention and torture, and ill treatment, including of children, as well as gender based violence”, the UN rights chief said.
Human Rights Watch has accused the military under Hasina of being ordered to shoot on sight to enforce curfew orders.
A number of criminal indictments have been issued against top loyalists of Hasina’s Awami League party, as reported by The Hindu.
It would be a historic move for ANU to strip the honorary title, with a spokesperson telling AAP that revoking such a degree “has not occurred in the university’s recent history”. There is currently no procedural precedent for the move.
“The university is undertaking to develop a more detailed revocation procedure before deciding on any specific matter,” the spokesperson said.
Per local media reports, Bangladesh police have requested Interpol to issue a red notice i.e. a global request to law enforcement to help locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or legal action.
Hasina is believed to have been hiding in India since mid-2024.
With input from the AAP.
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