Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been convicted of “crimes against humanity” and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a tribunal that she herself set up in 2009 to allegedly go after political enemies.
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During the 2008 general election, Hasina pledged to try “war criminals” who collaborated with Pakistan during the 1971 Liberation War. After coming to power with two-thirds majority, Hasina established the ICT in 2009.
The tribunal went after alleged war criminals with gusto. Many people were convicted in absentia; others were brought into custody and sentenced.
The tribunal handed out life imprisonment and death sentences to many associated with the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party.
Critics alleged that the ICT was used by Hasina to go after political opponents. Brad Adams of Human Rights Watch had said in 2012: “The trials…are deeply problematic, riddled with questions about the independence and impartiality of the judges and fairness of the process”.
After Hasina’s ouster last year, the ICT, which her opponents had said was “compromised”, was quickly turned against her. Ten days after the former PM escaped Dhaka, the ICT began probing Hasina on charges including murder, genocide and torture.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
