Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, officially scrapped a Sheikh Hasina-era rule that mandated public officials to address her and other senior women officials as “sir.”
The decision to scrap the ‘sir’ rule was finalised during a meeting of the advisory council in Dhaka, which also moved to abolish other “outdated” directives and protocol rules.
According to a report by the Dhaka Tribune, the Chief Adviser’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, announced the cancellation following the advisory council meeting. Alam elaborated on the rationale via Facebook, stating, “During Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year-long autocratic rule, a directive was reportedly issued requiring public officials to address her as ‘sir.'”
He further added, “This practice extended to other high-ranking women officials, who were, and in some cases still are, being called ‘sir,’ which is clearly odd.”
The interim government has stated that it will form a review committee, led by Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the current adviser on energy to investigate an “appropriate” manner to address senior officials and public servants moving forward.
This came after the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a Bangladesh court designated for the trial of international crimes, on Thursday ordered the initiation of trials against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, accusing her of ordering the shooting and killing of protesters during the student-led July Movement of 2024, following which she was ousted from the country.
Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam announced this development to reporters, noting that the ICT has asked for the trial against her.
“Sheikh Hasina ordered the shooting and killing of protesters during the July Movement. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has asked for the trial against her,” Islam said.
This came after ICT formally charged the ousted Prime Minister, former Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former Inspector General of Bangladesh Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in the cases related to crimes against humanity during the July uprising earlier today, as reported by the Daily Star.
As per the Daily Star, a three-member tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, brought five charges against the accused.
The tribunal scheduled the prosecution’s opening statement for hearings on August 3 and 4.
Among the accused, only Mamun appeared in court during the session, the Daily Star reported.
