"Miscarriage of justice," says Rights Group after Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death

New Delhi [India], November 17 (ANI): The conviction of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal with death and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun with five years imprisonment by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal is a political farce, does not meet basic international standards for fair trial, and is a miscarriage of justice for the victims, stated the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG).

The Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) is an independent think-tank based in New Delhi.

"The trial of Sheikh Hasina in absentia violates the basic international human rights standards on fair trial. The Interim Government of Bangladesh did not follow up on the extradition of Sheikh Hasina to India. If Bangladesh had any evidence, it could have filed a petition before India's Supreme Court seeking Hasina's extradition. Any country that follows the rule of law has to seek the extradition of the accused to meet fair trial standards, just the way India fought for the extradition of Abu Salem before the Supreme Court of Portugal and is currently fighting for the extradition of Mehul Choksi in the courts in Belgium," Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights and Risks Analysis Group, stated.

"Because Bangladesh does not have any evidence and therefore, it decided to sentence Prime Minister Hasina and her colleagues in a Kangaroo Court trial," it added.

The statement further noted Chakma's remarks where he said, "Among others, former PM Hasina was accused of the murder of Abu Sayed near Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, murder of six unarmed protesters in Dhaka's Chankharpul and six students at Ashulia last year. How could Prime Minister Hasina be charged without the actual perpetrators of these crimes being even named in the chargesheet? Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun cannot be the approver for these crimes as he was not present in the crime scenes."

During the presentation of evidence while delivering the verdict, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal cited reports from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and other organisations as evidence.

"The reports of the OHCHR, HRW or BBC per se cannot be evidence unless testified by their representatives with corroborative evidence to substantiate the contention in the reports, more so while awarding a death sentence. The testimonies of these witnesses or the cross-examination of these witnesses have not taken place during the trial. The trial is also a miscarriage of justice for the victims because the real perpetrators are not being punished," further stated Chakma.

A Bangladesh court on Monday afternoon found ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina guilty of committing "crimes against humanity" during the July-August uprising in 2024. Local media reported that the International Crimes Tribunal-1 has sentenced Hasina to death.

The tribunal found the former PM guilty on all five charges of crimes against humanity, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

The news outlet further said that the historic judgement concludes that Hasina and the two other accused, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, had orchestrated and enabled atrocities during the July-August movement.

The Awami League leader, who is currently in exile in India, was tried in absentia. The 78-year-old leader had fled to New Delhi after the fall of her regime in Dhaka. (ANI)

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