Evidence shows Sheikh Hasina’s ‘No Treatment, No Release’ directive during July Uprising: Chief Prosecutor reveals

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, just before her fall from power, allegedly gave strict orders at the Pangu Hospital in Dhaka during the July uprising, according to the Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, Md. Tajul Islam. 

The instructions were reportedly: "No treatment, no release," meaning that hospital officials and doctors were told not to treat the injured individuals and not to allow anyone to leave the hospital.

On Sunday, February 23, after a scheduled hearing at the tribunal, the Chief Prosecutor shared this information with the media during a press briefing. 

He revealed that when they visited the National Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Institute, or Pangu Hospital, the patients and their families confirmed that Sheikh Hasina had visited the hospital at the time. 

During this visit, she had reportedly given the "no treatment, no release" command to the doctors and hospital staff. 

The Chief Prosecutor also added that several doctors at the hospital had confirmed these details to them, and the evidence was now in their hands and presented in court.

Answering questions from reporters, the Chief Prosecutor explained that during the violent months of July and August, many victims who died were not allowed to have their bodies examined. 

"The bodies of the martyrs were not given proper attention," he said. "In fact, death certificates were not provided to some, and when gunshot victims were brought to the hospital, their death certificates falsely stated they died from causes like respiratory issues or fever, not gunshot wounds."

He went on to explain that when the families tried to bury their loved ones, they were attacked by the police on the streets. 

"If the police knew that the martyrs’ bodies were going to be buried, they would assault the families," he added.

The Chief Prosecutor also noted that the court had asked why postmortem reports and condition reports were not available for the martyrs. 

He explained that during that time, the situation was so dire that the authorities hurriedly buried the bodies without conducting proper autopsies. "This was not a normal situation," he said. "It’s proof of the inhumanity of the crimes that occurred during the July-August killings."

The Chief Prosecutor concluded by assuring that the evidence of Sheikh Hasina’s alleged actions would be carefully examined and, after verification, presented in court as part of the ongoing case regarding genocide and crimes against humanity.

This development sheds light on some of the darker aspects of the July uprising and raises more questions about the actions taken by those in power at the time.