In a resounding cry for accountability, hundreds of Bangladeshi expatriates from across Europe converged on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Thursday, forming a human chain and staging a fervent rally to demand justice for alleged atrocities under the interim government of Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Organised by the Netherlands chapter of the Awami League, the demonstration underscored a growing global backlash against what protesters describe as a “reign of terror” in Bangladesh, coinciding with explosive street protests in Dhaka that have left the capital in chaos.
Under the leadership of Netherlands Awami League President Mostofa Zaman and General Secretary Murad Khan, the gathering drew virtual participation from Sheikh Hasina, the exiled five-time Prime Minister and daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Addressing the crowd as the chief guest via live stream, Hasina decried the “systematic dismantling of democracy” and echoed her recent interviews, where she has repeatedly dared the Yunus administration to face her in an international tribunal.
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“If they are so confident in their accusations, let them bring the case to the International Criminal Court,” Hasina stated in a PTI interview just days ago, adding that the interim regime “lacks the courage” for such scrutiny. Her words, delivered amid chants of “Joy Bangla,” galvanised the expatriates, who waved Bangladeshi flags and portraits of Hasina while condemning the burning of her family home at 32 Dhanmondi – a site sacred to the nation’s liberation history.
European Awami League leaders, including Dr. Hasan Mahmud, M. Nazrul Islam, Mojibur Rahman, M.A. Kasem, Dilwar Hossain Koiech, and Shahidul Haq, joined the fray, uniting voices from the UK, Germany, France, and beyond.
“This is not just about Sheikh Hasina; it’s about every Bangladeshi silenced by fear,” declared Zaman, as the crowd swelled to over 500. The rally, marked by impassioned speeches and solidarity banners reading “End the Tyranny—Justice for All,” transitioned into a formal submission of a detailed complaint to ICJ President Joan Donoghue.
The 50-page dossier levels severe charges against Yunus and his inner circle, accusing them of:
-Gross human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and extrajudicial killings targeting Awami League members, minorities, and secular activists.
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-Political persecution, with fabricated charges against Hasina and her allies, alongside the outright ban on the Awami League and its student wing, Chhatra League.
-Collaboration with extremists, alleging ties to anti-liberation forces that have fueled attacks on state institutions, minority communities, and Bangladesh’s fragile democratic fabric. Protesters highlighted the destruction of Hasina’s residence as emblematic of this “cultural erasure,” linking it to broader instability.
“This complaint is a beacon for the oppressed,” said Murad Khan post-submission. “Dr. Yunus must answer for seizing power unlawfully and unleashing chaos on our homeland.”
Echoing Hasina’s recent statements to Hindustan Times, where she accused Yunus of “sponsoring extremists” and “harming ties with India” through pro-Pakistan overtures, the expatriates warned of a nation on the brink.
In that interview, Hasina outlined her conditions for return: the restoration of participatory democracy, free elections, and an end to fundamentalist influence—conditions she reiterated in The Hague, framing the ICJ action as a step toward “true reckoning.”
Echoes in Dhaka
The Hague’s fervour mirrored a powder keg erupting back home. On the same day, November 13, massive pro-Hasina demonstrations paralysed Dhaka, with youths and citizens clashing with security forces in a wave of unrest that saw railway tracks torched, vehicles set ablaze, and roads blocked.
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Eyewitness videos circulating on social media captured crowds chanting “Yunus Must Go” and “Save Secular Bangladesh,” with reports of violence escalating as protesters targeted symbols of the interim regime. Bangladeshi media outlets described scenes of “unstoppable anger,” with demonstrators accusing Yunus of fueling anti-India sentiment through “Razakar networks”—a reference to pro-Pakistan collaborators from the 1971 war.
As protests raged, Yunus took to national television in a rare address, urging calm while defending his government’s reforms. Yet, his words fell on deaf ears amid Hasina’s sharpened critiques. In a fresh interview with Bhaskar English published November 12, she lambasted the regime as “running on the support of fundamentalists,” warning that Yunus’s “Pakistan-friendly moves” were eroding Bangladesh’s sovereignty and regional alliances.
Analysts note this as a pivotal moment: Hasina’s five key messages from recent media appearances—including her ICC petition against interim violence and calls for UN intervention—have amplified the ICJ filing’s impact, drawing international eyes to Bangladesh’s deepening crisis.
Activists say the dual spectacles—from The Hague’s dignified defiance to Dhaka’s fiery streets—paint a portrait of a Bangladesh at war with itself. Expatriates in The Hague vowed to escalate: “The international community cannot ignore this genocide of democracy,” one protester told reporters, invoking Hasina’s own framing. With Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) set to deliver a verdict against Hasina on November 17—amid heightened security and empty streets in Dhaka—the stakes could not be higher.
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