Political activities banned Awami League has rejected the International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict that found Sheikh Hasina and her two aides guilty of crimes against humanity.
In a video statement posted on the party’s verified Facebook page, Awami League Presidium Member Jahangir Kabir Nanak said, “The people of Bangladesh reject today’s verdict. The people do not accept it and never will.”
He criticized the tribunal as “illegitimate,” alleging that the case was rushed through from August 14 to November 17. “Out of 84 witnesses, only 54 were presented. The case was completed in 20 working days over a two-month period,” he said, adding that the head judge had been absent for a month. “Despite this, they delivered a verdict against the people’s beloved leader out of vengeance.”
Nanak also warned that the party would “soon force the government to resign” and announced a nationwide dawn-to-dusk shutdown on Tuesday in protest, despite the party’s existing activity ban.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina, speaking from India where she has been living in exile, condemned the verdict as “biased and politically motivated.”
In a five-page statement released after the ruling, she said the interim government’s motive behind seeking the death penalty was to “neutralize the Awami League as a political force.”
Hasina, who earlier described the trial as a “mockery of justice,” reiterated her rejection of all charges. “I have no fear of facing my accusers before a tribunal where allegations are examined fairly,” she said, calling on the interim government to refer the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
She added that she remains “deeply proud” of her human rights and development record during her years in office.
PT/ra
