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Sheikh Hasina denies crimes against humanity as tribunal verdict looms
Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rejected allegations of crimes against humanity tied to a deadly crackdown on last year's protests, calling her upcoming trial verdict a "farce" orchestrated by political rivals. The special tribunal in Dhaka is set to deliver its ruling on Monday, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty if she is convicted.
Allegations and trial proceedings
Hasina, who fled to India on 5 August 2024 amid mass unrest, faces accusations of orchestrating hundreds of killings during student-led demonstrations against her government. In her first interview with the BBC since leaving office, she dismissed the trial as a "kangaroo court" designed to eliminate her political influence.
Prosecutors allege she personally ordered security forces to fire on protesters in the weeks before her departure. Hasina denied the claim, stating, "I never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians," though she acknowledged that "many lives were lost needlessly."
Evidence and leaked audio
Court proceedings included leaked audio, verified by BBC Eye, in which Hasina allegedly authorized "lethal weapons" in July 2024. The recording was presented as evidence during the trial. Hasina, indicted alongside former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and ex-police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, insists the proceedings lack fairness.
Kamal remains in hiding, while Al-Mamun pleaded guilty in July but has yet to be sentenced. Hasina's legal team filed an appeal to the UN on Monday, citing violations of due process at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal.
Broader abuses under scrutiny
The interview also addressed allegations of systemic abuses during Hasina's 15-year rule, including secret detention centers discovered after her ouster. Critics and opponents reportedly disappeared or were unlawfully killed, though Hasina claimed ignorance: "I did not have knowledge of them."
She denied involvement in extrajudicial killings but called for "impartial, depoliticised" investigations into official misconduct. A separate corruption trial against Hasina and her former cabinet is ongoing.
Security and political fallout
Security around the Dhaka tribunal has intensified ahead of the verdict, which follows UN estimates of up to 1,400 deaths during the crackdown. Hasina's Awami League party, already barred from February's elections, faces potential dissolution if she is convicted.
In the BBC interview, she accused opponents of seeking to "liquidate" her party, adding that she had been denied legal representation. The tribunal's decision will mark a pivotal moment for Bangladesh and the families of those killed in the protests.
"This is denied in terms of my own involvement, but if there is evidence of abuse by officials, let us have it examined properly in an impartial, depoliticised process."
Sheikh Hasina, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh
