 "Sheikh Hasina, the then-newly elected prime minister of Bangladesh and chairperson of Bangladesh Awami League, speaks during a meeting with foreign observers and journalists at the prime minister's residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, January 8, 2024. File Image/Reuters")
Reacting to the death sentence handed to ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a ‘crimes against humanity’ case, China on Tuesday said the matter was Dhaka’s “internal affair” and declined to comment further.
Hasina was sentenced to death on Monday by a Bangladeshi tribunal that convicted her of crimes against humanity linked to last year’s crackdown on student-led protests.
“It is Bangladesh’s internal affair,” PTI quoted Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning as saying during a briefing in Beijing when asked about the verdict.
She added that China “sincerely hopes that Bangladesh will achieve solidarity, stability, and development” and remains committed to a policy of good neighbourliness and friendship towards all people of Bangladesh, PTI reported.
Sheikh Hasina death sentence
Hasina was tried in absentia after fleeing to India following her ouster, and has been living there since. The tribunal also sentenced former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death, while ex–Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun received a reduced sentence of five years after pleading guilty and cooperating with investigators. He was the only accused present in court when the verdict was delivered.
According to UN rights data, around 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year during the student uprising against the Hasina government.
UN reaction
Following the judgment, the United Nations said that while the ruling marked an “important moment” for victims of the 2024 violence, the use of the death penalty was regrettable.
During Monday’s daily press briefing, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UN Secretary-General António Guterres “fully” agrees with High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s position that “we stand against the use of the death penalty in all circumstances.”