As exiled Hasina is sentenced to death, political violence looms over coming elections
A court in Dhaka convicted the former prime minister of "crimes against humanity" for her role in the crackdown of student protests in July 2024. As a result, the capital was placed under lockdown, while clashes and protests erupted across the city. From her Indian exile, Hasina slammed the verdict as “politically motivated”, while her son Sajeeb Wazed threatened to boycott the upcoming February elections unless the ban on the Awami League is lifted.
Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death by a Bangladeshi court for "crimes against humanity" committed during the anti-government riots in July 2024.
A three-member panel of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder issued the ruling today.
As a precautionary measure, Bangladeshi authorities set up a security perimeter in the hours preceding the verdict, with the army and police deployed to quell eventual disorders.
Some students at Dhaka University celebrated the verdict by handing out sweets following the announcement.
In a twist of fate, the ICT-1 was established as a special court in Dhaka in 2010 by Hasina herself to try war crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 War of Independence.
Several human rights groups have criticised the tribunal for its lack of impartiality and raised concerns about the transparency of the trial.
According to the ruling, the former prime minister, leader of the Awami League, issued orders against the protesters that amounted to war crimes, even though such an offence should be tried by the International Criminal Court, not by domestic courts.
The same charges were levelled against former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal (who is in India with Hasina) and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the only defendant present in court today.
The first charge alleges that Sheikh Hasina, on 14 July, incited the state and allied forces.
According to the ICT-1, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, acting as "superior commanders”, ordered security forces to attack protesters, committing crimes against humanity such as systematic killings, attempted murder, torture, and other large-scale inhumane acts, and all of this was done, the justices noted, with their knowledge.
The second count alleges that Sheikh Hasina ordered the killing and elimination of protesters using helicopters, drones, and lethal weapons against the crowd of students.
The third count alleges that members of the previous government and armed Awami League terrorists under their control carried out a systematic attack against innocent and unarmed students and civilians.
As part of this operation, on 16 July 2024, police brutally killed Abu Sayeed, a student at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, shooting him multiple times. His autopsy report was subsequently amended four times.
According to United Nations estimates, at least 1,400 people died and thousands were injured in the unrest that engulfed the country last year between 14 July and 5 August, the date that marked Hasina's flight from Bangladesh.
The UN described the events as "the worst political violence in Bangladesh since 1971."
The verdict sparked clashes in the capital, Dhaka.
Speaking from India, Hasina called the sentence "biased and politically motivated," while the death penalty, in her view, was an attempt to “nullify the Awami League as a political force."
Following the establishment of a technocratic government led by Muhammad Yunus (who described the ruling as “historic,” but called for calm), the opposition demanded that the Awami League be excluded from the upcoming elections, which are set in February next year.
In an interview yesterday with Reuters, Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed “Joy” threatened to boycott the polls if the ban on the Awami League is not lifted, adding that the movement could turn violent if the situation worsens.
Wazed, who also went into exile in New Delhi in August 2024, stated that India is providing him with full protection and is treating him “like a head of state.”
“We know exactly what is going to happen with the verdict,” he said. “They will broadcast it live. They will convict him, and maybe even give him the death penalty.”
He reiterated his intention to participate in the upcoming elections, insisting that, “We will not allow elections without the Awami League”.
Instead, “Our movement will become stronger and we will do whatever needs to be done. If the international community does not do something, eventually there will be violence in Bangladesh before the elections”.
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07/02/2019 17:28
03/10/2024 14:36
