Sheikh Hasina denies crimes against humanity in BBC interview

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has denied allegations of committing crimes against humanity during the July movement.

She made the claim in an interview given by e-mail to the BBC ahead of the verdict in the crimes against humanity case at the International Crimes Tribunal.

The tribunal prosecution has sought the death penalty for Sheikh Hasina on five charges, including incitement, provocation and ordering killings during the July–August 2024 crackdown, ‘superior command responsibility’, and ‘joint criminal enterprise’. The verdict has been scheduled for next Monday.

Sheikh Hasina, who has fled to India, has been denying these allegations. She claims the trial has been moving towards a ‘pre-determined verdict’ from the very beginning.

In the interview to the BBC, she said the trial being held in her absence is a ‘charade’ conducted by a ‘kangaroo court’ controlled by her political opponents.

The BBC wrote that the verdict is ‘significant’ for Bangladesh as well as a ‘crucial moment’ for the families of those killed in the student-led uprising that ousted Hasina from power.

At the request of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, a UN Human Rights High Commissioner investigative team conducted a fact-finding mission in Bangladesh last September. Their report, released in February, said several major operations involving killings and indiscriminate shootings during the student–public movement took place under the ‘orders and supervision’ of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Based on death figures gathered from various ‘reliable sources’, the investigation report estimated that more than 1,400 people may have been killed between July 1 and August 15, most of them shot dead with lethal weapons, military rifles and shotguns used by Bangladeshi security forces.

In her interview to the BBC, Sheikh Hasina said she ‘categorically’ denies these allegations. The deposed prime minister has also refused to return from India and take part in the judicial process.

She said: ‘I am not denying that the situation went out of control, or that many people were killed unnecessarily. But I never ordered shooting at unarmed civilians.’

BBC Eye verified an audio of a leaked phone conversation earlier this year, in which Sheikh Hasina appears to approve the use of ‘lethal weapons’ in July 2024. The audio was also played at the International Crimes Tribunal hearing.

Alongside Sheikh Hasina, her government’s home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and then police inspector general Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun are also accused in the case.

The tribunal prosecution has sought the death penalty for Kamal as well. Abdullah Al Mamun, on the other hand, has confessed and given testimony as a state witness.

In the interview, Hasina told the BBC that she did not get the chance to defend herself or appoint her own lawyers in the case. She said her political opponents filed the case to ‘completely eliminate’ the Awami League politically.

Hasina’s lawyers said in a statement on Monday that they have made an urgent appeal to the UN expressing ‘concerns’ about the International Crimes Tribunal’s trial and legal process.

As all political activities of the Awami League in Bangladesh remain banned until the trial ends, the party that ruled for 15 years will not be able to contest next February’s thirteenth parliamentary election. Being an accused at the tribunal, Sheikh Hasina also cannot run as an independent candidate.

The BBC wrote that they also asked Sheikh Hasina about another tribunal case involving allegations of grave human-rights violations, including enforced disappearances and torture, during the Awami League’s 15-year rule. She denied those allegations as well.

After Hasina was ousted from power, several secret detention centres were discovered where many people had been illegally held for years and tortured. These facilities, known as Ayna Ghar, have also been linked to allegations of torturing and killing political opponents and critics of Sheikh Hasina.

Asked who was responsible for these incidents, Hasina told the BBC she ‘did not know’ about them.

Rights groups have long held Sheikh Hasina, as head of government, responsible for numerous extrajudicial killings during the Awami League era. She denied that allegation too.

Hasina told the BBC: ‘I deny the allegation of my personal involvement. But if there is evidence against any official, then it should be properly investigated through an impartial and politically neutral process.’