Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been awarded a death sentence by a Bangladeshi court, on Monday rejected the ruling, saying her trial was “biased” and “politically motivated”.
In her first reaction to the verdict, Hasina said there was nothing international in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which delivered the judgment, calling it a “rigged” institution presided over by a government that has “no democratic mandate”.
“Verdicts announced against me were made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate…I was given no fair chance to defend myself in court,” Hasina said in a statement.
Hasina acknowledged that her regime had indeed lost control of the situation, but asserted that the events of July-August 2024, which resulted in her government’s fall, cannot be characterised as a premeditated assault on citizens.
“I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where evidence can be weighed and tested fairly…We lost control of the situation, but cannot characterise what happened as a premeditated assault on citizens,” she added.
Her reaction came shortly after the Tribunal found her guilty on all five charges of crimes against humanity.
According to Bangladeshi media reports, the ICT concluded that Hasina and two other co-accused, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, had ordered the use of lethal weapons against the student protesters.
“Accused prime minister Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement order and also failed to take preventive and punitive measures under charge 1,” the tribunal said.
“Accused Sheikh Hasina committed one count of crimes against humanity by her order to use drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons under charge number 2,” it said while announcing the death sentence to the former prime minister.
Former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun had already pleaded guilty and turned state witness against Hasina and Kamal, who were both tried in absentia.
Hasina was ousted from power on August 5, 2024, following violent protests led by young students. She had fled to India in a military helicopter moments before an angry mob ravaged her residence. Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who was the home minister under the Hasina-led Awami League government, is also believed to have been living in India since then.