Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has rejected allegations of crimes against humanity ahead of an International Crimes Tribunal ruling, declaring the charges false and stating she doesn’t care about such verdicts. The 78-year-old Awami League leader delivered her defiant message via audio recording to supporters.
Direct Challenge to Interim Government
“It is not so easy, Awami League has come up from the grassroots, not from the pocket of some usurper of power,” Hasina said in Bengali, accusing interim leader Muhammad Yunus of attempting to eliminate her party.
She characterized Yunus’s administration as illegitimate, claiming: “People will show this corrupt, militant, and murderer Yunus and his aides how Bangladesh can turn around; the people will do justice.”
Exile and Legal Proceedings
Sheikh Hasina, a close Indian ally, fled to Delhi last year after nationwide protests against her government turned violent. She resigned shortly before her escape, after which the Yunus-led interim government assumed control and filed crimes against humanity charges. The court ordered her to appear in Dhaka for trial, but she defied the summons.
Constitutional Arguments
Accusing Yunus of power usurpation, Sheikh Hasina referenced Bangladesh’s constitution: “removing elected representatives from their posts by force is punishable. Yunus has done exactly that through his meticulous designs.”
She claimed her government had accepted student protesters’ demands during last year’s uprising, but “fresh demands kept coming in. The aim was to create an anarchic situation.”
Defending Her Record
Rejecting human rights violation allegations, Hasina asked: “I gave refuge to 10 lakh Rohingya and they accuse me of violating human rights?”
She criticized the interim government for granting amnesty to individuals who allegedly murdered police officers, Awami League workers, lawyers, journalists, and cultural figures, arguing this “closed the doors of justice for the victims’ family members.”
Defiant Pledge
“Let them issue a verdict. I don’t care. Allah gave me life, Allah will take it, but I will keep working for the people of my country. I have lost my parents, my siblings, and they burnt down my home,” Hasina declared.
She promised supporters: “I am telling my party workers: don’t worry, it is a matter of time, I know you are suffering, we will not forget this, everything will be accounted for.”
