Defiant ousted Bangladesh leader Hasina refuses to apologise for protester deaths
The Chronify
Former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina has refused to apologise for the deadly crackdown on student-led protests that led to her fall from power last year. In an exclusive interview with The Independent (UK), the former premier, now living in exile in India, denied ordering police to fire on demonstrators and described the trial against her as a politically motivated attempt to silence her.
Prosecutors in Bangladesh are seeking the death penalty for Hasina, accusing her of crimes against humanity for allegedly authorising the use of lethal force during protests that left as many as 1,400 people dead. The protests began over government job quotas but quickly turned into a mass movement demanding Hasina’s resignation.
Hasina said she mourns every life lost but rejected the accusation that she gave direct orders to use deadly force. She claimed that lapses in discipline among security forces were responsible for the bloodshed and insisted her government acted in good faith to prevent further violence during what she called a violent uprising.
Speaking to The Independent, Hasina said she would neither be surprised nor intimidated if the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death. She described the tribunal as a sham court created by her political opponents and accused the unelected interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of targeting her party, the Awami League, to keep it out of the next election.
International human rights organisations condemned the crackdown at the time. Amnesty International described the killings as a shocking display of intolerance toward dissent, and the United Nations called the attacks on student protesters unacceptable.
Hasina defended her long rule, saying she should be remembered for restoring parliamentary democracy in the 1990s and helping millions of Bangladeshis rise out of poverty. Despite being in exile, she said she remains committed to restoring democracy in Bangladesh and called for free and fair elections to heal the nation.
Source: The Independent (independent.co.uk)
Hasina said she mourns every life lost but rejected the accusation that she gave direct orders to use deadly force. She claimed that lapses in discipline among security forces were responsible for the bloodshed and insisted her government acted in good faith to prevent further violence during what she called a violent uprising.
Speaking to The Independent, Hasina said she would neither be surprised nor intimidated if the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to death. She described the tribunal as a sham court created by her political opponents and accused the unelected interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of targeting her party, the Awami League, to keep it out of the next election.
International human rights organisations condemned the crackdown at the time. Amnesty International described the killings as a shocking display of intolerance toward dissent, and the United Nations called the attacks on student protesters unacceptable.
Hasina defended her long rule, saying she should be remembered for restoring parliamentary democracy in the 1990s and helping millions of Bangladeshis rise out of poverty. Despite being in exile, she said she remains committed to restoring democracy in Bangladesh and called for free and fair elections to heal the nation.
Source: The Independent (independent.co.uk)
