Bangladesh’s interim authorities says the conviction reveals dedication to justice.
Bangladesh’s self-exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to 6 months in jail for contempt of court docket by the nation’s Worldwide Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Golam Mortuza Mozumder, handed down the decision in Hasina’s absence on Wednesday. The sentence will take impact upon her arrest or voluntary give up, Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam instructed reporters.
Hasina, who fled to India following a student-led rebellion final August, faces several charges. This marks the primary time she has acquired a proper sentence in any of the instances.
Shakil Akand Bulbul, a senior determine within the Awami League’s banned pupil wing, Chhatra League, was additionally sentenced to 2 months in the identical case.
The contempt expenses stem from an audio recording by which Hasina was allegedly heard saying, “There are 227 instances in opposition to me, so I now have a licence to kill 227 folks.” A authorities forensic report later confirmed the tape’s authenticity.
The ICT was established in 2010 by Hasina’s personal authorities to prosecute warfare crimes dedicated throughout the nation’s 1971 independence warfare.
It has since been repurposed by the interim authorities, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, to pursue allegations of rights violations and corruption underneath Hasina’s rule.
The tribunal has issued three arrest warrants for Hasina, together with expenses of crimes in opposition to humanity linked to the crackdown on the student-led protests final yr, which toppled her authorities. Her Awami League celebration stays banned, with ongoing trials in opposition to former officers.
Hasina’s supporters insist the instances are politically motivated, describing them as a part of a broader effort to silence opposition. Nonetheless, the caretaker authorities argues the authorized course of is important to revive public belief within the nation’s establishments and guarantee accountability.
