- 12 hours ago
This special report on NewsTrack covers the death sentence handed to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity during the 2024 student-led uprising. The programme features analysis from former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on the verdict's impact on India-Bangladesh relations and potential extradition issues. It also includes interviews with Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajid Wazir, and Bangladesh's former Education Minister, Mohibul Chaudhary, who react to the tribunal's decision and discuss the future of the Awami League party. Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajid Wazir, said of the verdict: 'It's a complete mockery of justice.'
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Hello everyone, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Maria Shaquille.
00:03Bangladesh faces a historic moment as the International Crimes Tribunal has sentenced
00:10former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death for crimes against humanity linked to the deadly
00:16crackdown on protesters last year. This verdict marks a dramatic shift in Bangladesh's political
00:24landscape and raises questions about justice and political rivalry in the country.
00:31Keh Hasina's tenure was seen as both a story of development and tightening control.
00:38But does this ruling signal true judicial independence or is it political retribution?
00:45And more importantly, what comes next for Bangladesh's democracy, its institutions and its people?
00:52The tribunal's verdict may end Sheikh Hasina's political chapter, but the challenge remains.
01:00Can Bangladesh move beyond factionalism to build a more inclusive and stable future?
01:09Let me go straight to Kamal Sibyl, who joins me now. Ambassador Sibyl has served as an Indian
01:15ambassador to France, to Egypt and multiple other countries. Sir, thank you for speaking to India today.
01:22Ambassador Sibyl, how should we look at this verdict because it is coming from the National
01:29Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh? The interim government of Bangladesh has called it a historic one.
01:34On the other hand, you have the former prime minister who's facing the brunt saying that this
01:39is witch hunt.
01:40Well, it's a bit of a kangaroo court. It's an unelected government with, you know, very pronounced
01:52Islamist tendencies. It has taken several steps to alienate India, to pursue hostile policies
02:04towards India. You know, what has happened has to be seen in the light of a few factors. One, of course,
02:13the one, of course, I mentioned that there is no proper elected democratically elected government
02:20in Bangladesh. So on a very serious matter like this, which involves the future political future of
02:28Bangladesh. There has to be a popularly elected democratically elected government in Bangladesh as a
02:37prerequisite. That is one. The second is if Sheikh Hasina is such a criminal as deserving a death sentence,
02:48the odd thing is that she was flown into India by officially by Bangladesh itself, flying her to
03:03India in one of the military planes of Bangladesh. So which means, therefore, that what had happened in
03:11Bangladesh was not only not clear, but the assumption was that Sheikh Hasina was not involved and therefore
03:19needed to be protected from the mob, which was on a killing spree. You have to keep this in mind.
03:27So what do you think are the options before the former prime minister? Because I'm looking at the
03:31statement which has come in from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the interim government in Dhaka,
03:36which says that we will request India to immediately hand over the two fugitives to the authorities of
03:42Bangladesh, fulfilling the obligations under the bilateral extradition treaty. How do you see the diplomatic
03:48relations then being impacted between India and Bangladesh in this context, when you have this kind of
03:55statement come in and and also the chief advisor, the league advisor to Muhammad Yunus, perhaps being very tough with
04:02his words? Well, firstly, as I said, look at the kind of extradition cases that are pending, where neither the British
04:13government nor the Canadian government nor the, you know, the American government, or for that matter, in the case of
04:19Zakir Naik, the Malaysian government, have they responded to our request for extradition? And has that affected our
04:26crisis in any significant way? You carry on other parts of your relationship as much as possible in mutual
04:33interest, and you won't make a single issue as determining the equality and the future of the relationship between the two
04:40countries. One is that. Secondly, obviously, Sheikh Hasina cannot go back. Unless there is a change in government and the new, the new
04:52government then grants her amnesty or declares that the entire procedure was legally faulty and therefore call it as non-applicable or whatever, unless that sort of a thing happens, obviously, she can't go back.
05:07There's no question that India will either make her go back to Bangladesh or send her to a third country, as has been talked about. She will remain in India. Don't forget that there's a legal process at our end, because the extradition treaty between India and Bangladesh has a political clause that if the extradition is being asked for political reasons, then it won't be given. It won't be exceeded to. And Sheikh Hasina can easily move our court,
05:37and fight out her case in our courts, and fight out her case in our courts against extradition, in which case the courts will examine whatever charges that Bangladesh has brought against us, the validity of the charges, the seriousness of the charges, the evidence produced. It is a huge, long process.
05:58Okay. So it is, it's not going to happen. Unfortunately, Bangladesh is now on an anti-Indian role. And this is one more reason they'll keep the pot boiling between India and Bangladesh and use this as an argument.
06:12Can she approach courts here in India for reprieve? Or she'll have to take the route of International Court of Justice?
06:21No, no, the International Court of Justice is not going to come into that. You know, the International Court of Justice doesn't take up individual cases like this.
06:33That's right.
06:34And the governments involved have to agree, you know, to accept the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. So there is no question of the International Court of Justice getting into an individual case like that.
06:51Now, when it comes to the International Criminal Court, India is not a member of the International Criminal Court. So therefore, any obligation that India may have, if it were a member of the International Criminal Court, does not exist.
07:06And as I said, the Indian courts, if Sheikh Srinath decides to go down that route and fight the extradition after a formal request is made by the Bangladesh government with all the evidence to support what they have done, then the whole process will get prolonged indefinitely.
07:27Now, let me add one very important thing in this. You remember when Yunus went to Washington and went to the Clinton Center, he introduced one of his principal aides and said very publicly, very publicly, that the entire, you know, agitation was meticulously planned. He used that word.
07:52That's just not happened like that. It was meticulously planned. Now, if it was meticulously planned to overthrow the government of Sheikh Hasina, then, of course, the conclusion is that whatever happened in terms of police firing and everything else was a conspiracy to create a local situation on the ground, which would then lead to departure from Bangladesh because her own life was being threatened.
08:21So, you have to keep all these facts in mind. So, you have to keep all these facts in mind. And I think the Bangladesh government, whenever it produces any evidence, will actually get exposed.
08:32All right. Thank you for speaking to us, Ambassador.
08:35Earlier today, I spoke to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajib Vazid, who joined me from Washington, D.C.
08:45And we also spoke to Bangladesh's former Education Minister, Mohibul Choudhury, over the tribunal's decision and what it means for Sheikh Hasina and her party, Abami League.
08:58Listen in.
09:28Thank you very much for having me. Look, it is. Everyone knew this sentence was predetermined. These trials were rushed. I mean, it's a historic trial and they finished it in what, two months, three months.
09:46This is an unelected, unconstitutional, undemocratic government. They amended the laws, which can't be done without Parliament, to enable this trial.
09:58She was not allowed to send her own defense attorneys. It's a complete mockery of justice.
10:04Okay. But, Sajib, my next question would be, when did you last speak to your mother? Did you speak to her after the sentence was announced?
10:16No, actually, I'm sure she has been on the phone. I've called her. I've not had a chance to speak to her. She did not answer. So, I have not spoken to her in a couple of days.
10:27As far as the legal route is concerned, what is the family planning to do next? What is Abami League, your mother's party, going to do next?
10:38Right now, there is no rule of law in Bangladesh. The Constitution is basically being disregarded. So, right now, there's nothing much to do.
10:50Once the rule of law returns, all of this will get thrown out on appeals because the entire process is so illegal and unconstitutional that it will not survive.
11:02So, uh, any legal process will have to wait until there is rule, a rule of law in Bangladesh.
11:09Um, I'm looking at the statement, Sajib, which was put out by UNUS interim government on this verdict, and it says, uh, that this is a historic verdict, realizing that the profound significance of this verdict, the interim government is calling on the people of all works of life to remain calm, restrained, and responsible.
11:29It goes on to say that this verdict, which has been long-awaited by the people, especially the relatives of the martyrs of the July uprising, may naturally generate emotions in the public mind.
11:40Uh, the sense is that this is what the people of Bangladesh were waiting for.
11:43Uh, actually, on the contrary, for the last few days, the people of Bangladesh, we have had total shutdowns.
11:52Uh, our party called for shutdowns, and the people responded.
11:56So, Dhaka city and other cities were shut down, people stayed home.
12:02So, how do you know the people, what the people want without even an election, without an elected government?
12:09You cannot know that.
12:10This is an unelected government.
12:12How can they speak for the people?
12:13Okay, a word now on, um, uh, the details which have emerged, of course, that the former police chief who sought an apology from the tribunal and the people of the country, and he, hence, it was, he was pardoned.
12:27This is with regards to police chief, uh, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, over the same charges.
12:33Uh, I don't know about that.
12:37You will have to ask his family.
12:39Okay, well, so, let me, uh, go through this entire, uh, you know, uh, the, the order which has come in, again, uh, Sajib.
12:46Uh, the government has described this July charter reforms as essential, uh, to prevent authoritarianism.
12:53Uh, how does then this, uh, you know, the sense is that this trial aligns with the democratic governance in Bangladesh,
13:00that this will ensure that the process of electing a, uh, democratic government will be expedited.
13:06Your thoughts on that?
13:08How can you have, how can you, uh, have, uh, expedite democracy by, through an unelected, undemocratic government?
13:16How is that possible?
13:17Uh, that is a joke.
13:19This has been tried many times before.
13:22It only, that is why Bangladesh is in the situation it is, is because of these undemocratic interventions.
13:29And so now the future is even worse.
13:32What you're going to have is Bangladesh becoming an Islamist state, uh, probably similar to Iran or something.
13:40And you're going to have terrorism.
13:42You're going to have a failed state.
13:44That is what's going to happen.
13:45The government, uh, of, uh, uh, Muhammad Yunus is trying to justify, uh, uh, you know, Sheikh
13:53Hasina's, uh, uh, order and has said that they were in absentia.
13:57Uh, what do you think will be the legitimacy of this verdict?
14:01Uh, this verdict has no legitimacy.
14:06I think this will eventually get thrown out.
14:09Everything will get thrown out.
14:10This is just a show.
14:12They cannot do anything to my mother.
14:14Um, I will have to go as I'm getting other calls.
14:17I have other interviews as well.
14:19So if we can wrap this up, I'd appreciate it.
14:21Absolutely.
14:22Uh, uh, my last question then, uh, Sajib.
14:25What next for former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who was seen as the iron lady of Bangladesh?
14:32Will she be heading to Bangladesh at some point?
14:35Uh, is she looking at participating in the elections, which will be held in the country
14:39in three to four months from now?
14:41Uh, our party, they have banned our entire party, the largest party from elections.
14:46So this is, there is nothing democratic here.
14:49Right now, there is no, the option to participate is not there at all.
14:53There is no democracy in Bangladesh.
14:54So, uh, when democracy returns, of course, she will return.
14:57But right now, there is no democracy.
14:59Our party is not allowed to participate.
15:01So the elections, again, are meaningless.
15:04They are another sham.
15:06So that question right now is, doesn't, is not even possible.
15:10Okay.
15:11So you are not sensing that there is a possibility of, uh, she going to Bangladesh in near future.
15:17Sheikh Hasina is not going to Bangladesh in near future.
15:20No, she will.
15:22She will.
15:23She will.
15:24When democracy returns, she definitely will.
15:25When this undemocratic government is gone, she definitely will return.
15:29And, uh, will you be participating in the elections?
15:31Your party will be participating in the elections?
15:33Is that happening?
15:34Right now, we are not allowed to.
15:37Right now, we are not allowed to.
15:38So it's not possible.
15:39All right, uh, Sajib Vazid.
15:41The undemocratic regime has banned us.
15:44Sheikh Hasina, our son, joining us from Washington DC.
15:47Really appreciate your time.
15:48Thank you for speaking to India today.
15:50Mr. Chaudhary, appreciate your time here on India today.
15:53Your first reactions, uh, the interim government of Bangladesh is calling it historic.
15:59You say that this is biased, politically motivated charade.
16:04But what is the evidence that you have to say so?
16:09You see, the constitution of the tribunal itself is illegal.
16:14This tribunal was meant to try for the crimes committed in 1971.
16:20That was the mandate of this tribunal.
16:23Um, this interim government did not have any mandate, constitutional or through the court,
16:30to amend an act of parliament, uh, through a temporary law.
16:35Now, they have done that.
16:37They have included the incidents of, uh, 2024 into the mandate of this court, which is totally
16:46illegal because there is no parliament in session.
16:49And through this illegal tribunal, they have held a completely one-sided trial where our leader
16:57was not allowed to represent herself.
17:00Some of the senior lawyers of the Dhaka court, they wanted to fight on her behalf, but they
17:05were denied.
17:06They were not allowed to appear on her behalf.
17:09A state, I mean, the current interim government, the prosecution side, appointed a Jamaat-e-Islami
17:16activist lawyer on her behalf.
17:19So it was a, it was a completely a sham trial in an illegal court by a group of people who
17:27simply wants to take revenge for the trials of their leaders who were collaborators of 1971.
17:34It is the same tribunal where they were tried.
17:37And this tribunal doesn't have the jurisdiction, the authority to try any regular riot incident
17:43or a criminal, um, uh, uh, allegation.
17:46At the same time, the, uh, uh, the police have also filed hundreds of thousands of cases
17:54of murder charges against our leaders.
17:58But they know that if they were to follow regular criminal procedure, they are not going
18:02to successfully, successfully convict us.
18:06Because you have to have a basic, um, uh, standard, uh, a minimum standard of criminal
18:13culpability.
18:14Okay.
18:15And you have to prove that.
18:16In this, in this tribunal, none of this exists.
18:18It was a camera trial.
18:19It was a camera trial broadcasted across the country in order to shore up emotion, in order
18:25to, uh, whitewash the crimes of 1971.
18:28And this is, it, it, this is what they have done.
18:31They've taken revenge for their, uh, uh, for, for what-
18:35Mr. Chowdhury, the government says that it's July charter reforms is an essential to, uh,
18:41prevent authoritarianism.
18:43And this, uh, entire trial actually aligns with that.
18:49And if you look at the statement, which has been issued just few minutes ago, it says
18:53that it's a historic verdict because it have, it was long awaited by the people, especially
18:59the relatives of the martyrs of the July uprising.
19:02Uh, July.
19:05The July charter itself is an illegal charter.
19:08Um, it, it, it purports to amend the constitution.
19:12These people are not elected by the people to amend the constitution.
19:17Political parties have not even agreed on the July charter.
19:22BNP has signed with note of dissent.
19:26Except for Jamaat-i-Islami, every other political party has given their note of dissent against
19:33this so-called July charter.
19:35They, if they are to change the constitution or to prevent authoritarianism or whatever they
19:41want to call it, they need mandate from the people.
19:44Who are they?
19:45Who are they?
19:46First of all, they have just arrived from abroad, sat in the chair of government and are just
19:51running the country without consulting anyone.
19:54Let us, let us have an election.
19:56Let us have an election.
19:57Let the people decide who they want, uh, in, uh, in government.
20:02So until and unless that happens, each and every action of this interim regime is constitutionally
20:08illegal.
20:09So, um, they just want to justify it by PR, uh, uh, measures.
20:14They want to hold a camera trial, which they have done.
20:17We, we knew this was all coming.
20:19This is all planned.
20:20This was all planned as they had planned our ouster, uh, last year, which they themselves
20:25said was a meticulously designed mission.
20:29Of course, that's a developing story.
20:31A story we'll continue to track very, very closely.
20:34That's all from me on this edition of the news track.
20:36Thanks so much for watching and I'll be seeing you tomorrow.
20:39Bye.
20:40Bye.
Recommended
1:09
1:30
Be the first to comment