Former Bangladesh PM Hasina denounces ICT trial as politically motivated ‘hatchet job’

Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has dismissed the country’s International Criminal Tribunal (ICT), set to deliver its verdict in her case on 17 November, as a politically motivated “hatchet job” orchestrated by her rivals, according to a report on Friday.

Hasina has already been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for contempt of court and separately faces corruption charges. Several officials from her former Awami League government, including the former interior minister and police chief, are also facing charges; the latter is in custody and has already pleaded guilty.

In an interview with South China Morning Post’s ‘This Week in Asia’, just days before the highly anticipated verdict on charges that her handling of last year’s student protests amounted to crimes against humanity, Hasina defended her actions. She said the initially peaceful demonstrations “darkened into mob violence,” prompting state intervention.

Attacking the ICT, she said, “Bangladesh’s so-called International Criminal Tribunal is neither international, nor even a tribunal. It is a judicial mockery. The ICT is controlled by my political opponents in order to deliver a preordained guilty verdict, in an attempt to nullify the Awami League as a political force.”

During the months-long trial conducted in her absence, prosecutors accused Hasina of directing security forces to use lethal weapons against protesters, allegations she categorically rejects. “At no point did I order security forces to fire on crowds. My political adversaries have alleged this but have shown no persuasive evidence to back the claim, because there is none,” she said.

The trial has heightened tensions across Bangladesh. Following the Awami League’s announcement of a nationwide “lockdown” in protest, schools in Dhaka and other major cities shifted to online classes, while public transport was severely disrupted as the government tightened security nationwide.

Re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in 2024, Hasina accused the interim government of undermining democracy by banning all Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act, ahead of next year’s elections. “An election where the Awami League, which is supported by tens of millions, is banned, is neither free, fair, nor inclusive. Bangladesh badly needs a government ruling with the consent of the people. You will not achieve that if millions of people are disenfranchised,” she said, adding that the Awami League must remain part of the political conversation in the country.

The 17 November verdict is expected to be a flashpoint, with the potential to spark further unrest across Bangladesh.

With IANS inputs