NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that the death sentence awarded to her exposes the “murderous intent” of extremist elements within the interim government.
In her first response to the International Crimes Tribunal’s ruling, Hasina dismissed the verdict while defending her administration’s record on human rights.
“The verdicts announced against me have been made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate. They are biased and politically motivated. In their distasteful call for the death penalty, they reveal the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh’s last elected prime minister, and to nullify the Awami League as a political force,” Hasina said in a statement.
“The guilty verdict against me was a foregone conclusion. No genuinely respected or professional jurist in the world would endorse the Bangladesh ICT. Its purpose was not justice, but elimination.”
“I reject the ICT’s other allegations of human rights abuses as equally unevidenced. I am very proud of my government’s record on human rights and development. We led Bangladesh to join the International Criminal Court in 2010, gave refuge to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar, expanded access to electricity and education, and presided over a 450% GDP growth over 15 years, lifting millions out of poverty. These achievements are a matter of historical record. They are not the acts of a leadership unconcerned by human rights. And Dr Yunus and his vengeful cronies can claim no achievements that are remotely comparable,” she added.
Hasina accused the interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of weaponising the judiciary to conceal what she described as its own failures in governance. According to the Former Prime Minister, Bangladesh under the interim authority has entered a phase of “chaotic, violent and socially regressive rule,” marked by rising attacks on minorities, repression of dissent, and deteriorating public services. The government has not responded to the claims.
Hasina maintained that she was denied a fair trial. She said she was not permitted to choose her legal counsel or present exculpatory evidence and challenged the authorities to take the case to the International Criminal Court. "I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where evidence can be weighed and tested fairly," she said.
Responding to the charges that she ordered lethal force during last year’s protests, Hasina insisted her government acted "in good faith" amid escalating violence and added that operational decisions were made by security forces on the ground. She said prosecutors relied on selective transcripts while overlooking evidence of armed agitators and provocateurs.
Hasina also disputed casualty figures associated with the unrest and accused the interim government of halting the judicial inquiry she initiated to establish an independent account of events. She framed her 15-year tenure as one defined by economic growth and social progress, contrasting it with what she called the “vengeful cronies” now steering the state.