Arrest warrant issued against ousted Bangladeshi premier’s son over internet shutdown

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A Bangladesh court has issued an arrest warrant for Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, accusing him of helping orchestrate a nationwide internet shutdown during last year’s uprising—a move prosecutors say enabled mass killings.

The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka issued the order in absentia on Thursday against Joy, who lives in the US and previously served as Hasina’s adviser for information and communication technology.

According to the tribunal, authorities devised a plan in the final phase of the July 2024 uprising to suppress the movement by cutting internet access across the country, and Joy is alleged to have played a direct role. Tribunal chairman Md Golam Mortuza Majumdar issued arrest warrants for both Joy and former junior ICT minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak after accepting a case linking them to crimes against humanity tied to the shutdown and the subsequent killings.

In a separate ruling, the tribunal also accepted formal charges against former law minister Anisul Huq and former industry and investment adviser Salman F. Rahman. They are accused of involvement in mass killings carried out under strict curfew orders during the same period. All defendants except Joy are currently in custody.

Hasina fled Bangladesh on Aug. 5 after her administration was toppled during the uprising. She and her family have remained abroad since.

The United Nations estimates that around 1,400 people were killed and more than 20,000 injured during the unrest.