Sheikh Hasina Ordered 'No release, No treatment' After Visiting Hospital

Abdullah Al Imran, a student, has testified against ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in a case filed on charges of crimes against humanity committed during the July Uprising last year.

Imran testified before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 as the second witness in the trial on Monday. In his statement, he claimed that Sheikh Hasina personally issued a “No treatment, no release” order during a visit to the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (also known as Pangu Hospital) in Agargaon, Dhaka. Imran told the court that he heard the directive himself.

He recounted that on 19 July 2024, he was shot in the leg below the left knee during clashes in the Bijoynagar Water Tank area of the capital. He was later admitted to the orthopaedic hospital for treatment.

According to Imran, sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 am on either 26 or 27 July, then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the hospital. Imran said she went to his bedside. He addressed her as ‘Madam’, but she told him to call her ‘Apa’ (sister). She asked him where he studies, whether he stays in the halls, and why he does not.

Imran stated, “At one stage, she seemed to realise I was a protester. She asked if the police had shot me. I said yes, they had fired directly at me, though I didn’t know who the people in the police uniform were.”

“She then spoke to four or five other patients. As she was leaving, I saw her approach the help desk and issue the order: ‘No treatment, no release.’ I heard her say this,” Imran testified.

He added that at the time, he did not understand what the order meant. Later, when his surgery was delayed, they could not buy essential medicines even from outside, and his father was unable to discharge him from the hospital, he realised the meaning of the order. “They were going to amputate my leg and transfer me to prison,” he said.

Imran directly blamed Sheikh Hasina, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun for what he described as an orchestrated denial of medical care.

The first witness in the case, microbus driver Khokon Chandra Barman, gave his testimony on Sunday. He had been shot in the face during the uprising, which left him severely disfigured.

The trial of Sheikh Hasina officially commenced at International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday, with opening remarks and the beginning of witness testimonies. The case addresses crimes against humanity committed during the mass student and public uprising in July and August last year.

Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan are both fugitives in the case. Following the publication of public notices in newspapers for their surrender, the appointment of state defence counsels, and hearings on charge framing, the tribunal has formally initiated the trial against the three accused.

Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the only accused in custody, has confessed to his role in the crimes and has been made an approver (state witness). He was produced before the tribunal on Sunday. Portions of the proceedings were broadcast live on state television.