 "‘Bring me to The Hague’: Sheikh Hasina dares Yunus regime to face the ICC")
Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina challenged the country’s Interim Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to take charges against her to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an impartial investigation. In an email interview to CNN-News18, Hasina called her death sentence at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, a “political assassination dressed in judicial robes.”
“This is a political assassination dressed in judicial robes. The so-called International Crimes Tribunal is neither international nor impartial, as numerous respected foreign jurists have pointed out. Its verdict was engineered by my political opponents,” Hasina said in the written interview to CNN-News18.
She emphasised that returning to Dhaka under Yunus' regime would not be safe for her. I have repeatedly challenged the interim government to bring these charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Yunus refuses because they know the ICC would acquit me and scrutinise his government’s own dismal record of human rights breaches," she said.
On November 17, Bangladesh’s ICT found her guilty of committing crimes against humanity during the July protests and sentenced her to death. This was the first time in the country’s history that a Bangladeshi PM received such a harsh punishment. Interestingly, it was Hasina who laid the foundation of ICT. However, the court was revamped after she was ousted following violent protests last year.
Hasina expresses gratitude toward India
After she fled the country amid a riot-like situation in Dhaka, Hasina arrived in Delhi, where she found refuge. While Hasina has been sentenced to death in Bangladesh, India is yet to respond to Dhaka’s frequent extradition requests.
When asked how she sees New Delhi’s support throughout this tussle, Hasina expressed her gratitude for India’s support. “I am deeply grateful to the Indian people for welcoming me. I did not want to leave my home, but remaining would have risked violence not only against me but against those trying to protect me,” she told CNN-News18.
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View All“Justice will come through international pressure and the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh. The international community — Human Rights Watch, the UN High Commissioner, Amnesty International — have all condemned these proceedings.”
“My path to justice depends on Bangladesh returning to constitutional governance and the rule of law, not any single nation’s decision,” she averred. When asked about the deteriorating ties between India and Bangladesh under the Yunus regime, Hasina maintained an optimistic stance on the matter.
“I do not doubt that our relationship with India can withstand the silliness of the Yunus interlude, which will be temporary. India is not just a strategic partner, it is a friend with whom we share cultures, histories, and a 4,000km border,” she explained.
“Once Bangladeshis can vote freely, they will elect a leader that can be the friend India deserves, and I appreciate our neighbour’s patience as it waits for common sense to prevail,” the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister concluded.
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