Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has denied committing crimes against humanity during a deadly crackdown on last year's uprising that ousted her, days before the special tribunal trying her is due to deliver a verdict. Hasina is accused of being the main architect behind hundreds of killings during the mass protests against her autocratic rule - an allegation she denies.
In her first interview with the BBC since she fled the country on 5 August 2024, she said her trial in absentia was a 'farce' orchestrated by a 'kangaroo court' controlled by political opponents. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Hasina if she is found guilty on Monday.
Hasina claimed the trial was destined to deliver a 'pre-ordained guilty verdict'. Security has been tightened in and around the tribunal in the capital Dhaka ahead of Monday's verdict, marking a significant moment for the country as well as for the relatives of those killed during the student-led anti-government protests.
Per UN human rights investigators, as many as 1,400 people were killed when Hasina and her government used systematic, deadly violence against protesters in their failed bid to hold onto power. She has refused to return from India to attend the trial and is accused of personally ordering security forces to fire at protesters before her exit.
In an email interview, Hasina told the BBC she 'categorically' denied such allegations. 'I'm not denying that the situation got out of control, nor that many lives were lost needlessly. But I never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians,' she insisted.
Audio evidence has emerged suggesting she authorized the use of 'lethal weapons' in July 2024, which has played a role in her court trial. Hasina was formally indicted along with former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in July.
While the latter has pleaded guilty, Hasina's legal team has filed an urgent appeal to the UN, citing serious fair trial and due process issues. The Awami League, her political party, is already banned from participating in the upcoming general elections, indicating turbulent political dynamics ahead in Bangladesh.
As scrutiny continues, Hasina has faced serious allegations of a broader pattern of abuses during her lengthy rule and pledges to defend her integrity and call for a transparent evaluation of all claims moving forward.
In her first interview with the BBC since she fled the country on 5 August 2024, she said her trial in absentia was a 'farce' orchestrated by a 'kangaroo court' controlled by political opponents. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Hasina if she is found guilty on Monday.
Hasina claimed the trial was destined to deliver a 'pre-ordained guilty verdict'. Security has been tightened in and around the tribunal in the capital Dhaka ahead of Monday's verdict, marking a significant moment for the country as well as for the relatives of those killed during the student-led anti-government protests.
Per UN human rights investigators, as many as 1,400 people were killed when Hasina and her government used systematic, deadly violence against protesters in their failed bid to hold onto power. She has refused to return from India to attend the trial and is accused of personally ordering security forces to fire at protesters before her exit.
In an email interview, Hasina told the BBC she 'categorically' denied such allegations. 'I'm not denying that the situation got out of control, nor that many lives were lost needlessly. But I never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians,' she insisted.
Audio evidence has emerged suggesting she authorized the use of 'lethal weapons' in July 2024, which has played a role in her court trial. Hasina was formally indicted along with former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun in July.
While the latter has pleaded guilty, Hasina's legal team has filed an urgent appeal to the UN, citing serious fair trial and due process issues. The Awami League, her political party, is already banned from participating in the upcoming general elections, indicating turbulent political dynamics ahead in Bangladesh.
As scrutiny continues, Hasina has faced serious allegations of a broader pattern of abuses during her lengthy rule and pledges to defend her integrity and call for a transparent evaluation of all claims moving forward.
