Mon Nov 17 10:17:03 UTC 2025: News Article:
Ex-Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Denounces Death Sentence as “Rigged,” Accuses Tribunal of Bias
Dhaka, Bangladesh – Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has fiercely condemned the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) after being sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. Hasina, responding to the verdict, called the proceedings a sham designed to target her Awami League party and distract from the failings of the current interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr. Mohammad Yunus.
“This verdict revealed the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures in an unelected government,” Hasina stated, denying all charges against her. She accused the tribunal of bias, alleging that judges and lawyers have publicly expressed support for the current administration. Hasina claims she and her party were denied a fair chance to defend themselves.
Hasina highlighted three key points to support her claim of a rigged trial: the removal or intimidation of judges and advocates sympathetic to her cause, the exclusive prosecution of Awami League members by the ICT, and the tribunal’s failure to investigate violence perpetrated by other parties against religious minorities and others.
She challenged the ICT’s legitimacy, stating, “Despite its name, there is nothing ‘international’ about the ICT… Nor is it impartial.” Hasina further asserted that Bangladeshis are aware the trials were designed to scapegoat the Awami League and deflect attention from Dr. Yunus’s administration’s shortcomings.
Hasina declared her willingness to face her accusers in a legitimate tribunal where evidence could be fairly weighed. She reiterated her challenge to the interim government to bring the charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The ICT, led by Justice Mohd. Golam Mortuza Majumder, found Hasina and her aides, ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year. Kamal was also sentenced to death in absentia, while the former police chief, Chowdhury Al-Mamun, was pardoned after apologizing to the tribunal and the country. Hasina and Kamal were tried and sentenced as fugitives.
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