Former war crimes prosecutor Tureen Afroz arrested in Dhaka

Police say she is held over several cases, including one for attempted murder during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement

Former International Crimes Tribunal prosecutor Tureen Afroz has been arrested in Dhaka’s Uttara.

She was detained around 10pm on Monday from her residence in Sector 3 of Uttara, according to Uttara West Police Station chief Hafizur Rahman.

"She has multiple cases filed against her, including one related to a murder during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement," he said.

Around midnight, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s public relations division said in a statement that Barrister Tureen was arrested in connection with an attempted murder case.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina had fled to India on Aug 5 after being toppled by mass protests.

Tureen is the latest in a series of arrests of high-profile individuals, including former ministers, state ministers, influential MPs, senior bureaucrats, and police officers, since the interim government took over on Aug 8, 2024.

On the day Hasina fled, reports emerged that her personal office in Nilphamari’s Jaldhaka had been vandalised.

Once a prominent figure in war crimes prosecutions, she had remained away from public roles in recent years.