Bangladesh's ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday responded after being sentenced to death. She called the verdict against her by the country's International Crimes Tribunal for 'crimes against humanity' biased and politically motivated. "The verdicts announced against me have been made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate," she said.
While denying all the charges, Hasina criticised the court for not giving the Awami League Party and herself a 'fair chance to defend themselves'. She further stated in a statement issued minutes after the verdict, "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."
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Hasina tore into the 'rigid proceedings,' stating, "For the record, I wholly deny the accusations that have been made against me in the ICT. I mourn all of the deaths that occurred in July and August of last year, on both sides of the political divide. But neither I nor other political leaders ordered the killing of protestors."
She pointed out three controversial facts in her statement:
- Any senior judges or even senior advocates who have previously expressed any sympathy for the previous government have been removed or intimidated into silence.
- The ICT has exclusively prosecuted members of the Awami League.
- It has done precisely nothing to prosecute or even investigate perpetrators from the other parties of documented violence against religious minorities, indigenous people, journalists and others.
Hasina emphasized that millions of Bangladeshis toiling under the 'chaotic, violent, and socially regressive administration' of Dr Mohammad Yunus will not be fooled by this attempt to short-change them of their democratic rights.
"They can see that the trials conducted by the so-called International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) were never intended to achieve justice or provide any genuine insight into the events of July and August 2025. Rather, their purpose was to scapegoat the Awami League and to distract the world's attention from the failings of Dr Yunus and his ministers," she said. Hasina fiercely declared that she is not afraid to face accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be 'weighed and tested fairly.'
In a landmark ruling, a special tribunal in Bangladesh has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death, finding her guilty of crimes against humanity. The verdict concludes a months-long trial centered on her role in last year’s violent crackdown against student protests.
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