'Didn't order killing': Hasina issues detailed rebuttal after conviction, challenges Yunus

Deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued a detailed rebuttal to her conviction and death sentence, rejecting the International Crimes Tribunal's verdict as "politically motivated" and declaring that she had "no role in ordering violence" during the 2024 protests. 

"The verdicts announced against me have been made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate. They are biased and politically motivated," Hasina said in her statement following the verdict.

The Dhaka tribunal had on Monday found Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity, sentencing her to death on three counts — incitement to violence, issuing orders to kill protesters, and failing to prevent atrocities during the student-led uprising that gripped Bangladesh between July and August 2024.

'Neither I nor other political leaders ordered killings'

Hasina denied the charges outright, saying she mourned the loss of life but rejected any suggestion that she or her government ordered the use of lethal force. "I wholly deny the accusations that have been made against me in the ICT. I mourn all of the deaths that occurred in July and August of last year, on both sides of the political divide. But neither I nor other political leaders ordered the killing of protestors," she said.

Hasina insisted she was denied due process. "I was given no fair chance to defend myself in court, nor even to have lawyers of my own choice represent me in absentia," she said.

'Biased tribunal, extremist intent'

She accused the tribunal of functioning as a political tool of interim chief Dr Mohammad Yunus's government, claiming it had targeted the Awami League while shielding others. "The ICT has exclusively prosecuted members of the Awami League. It has done precisely nothing to investigate perpetrators from other parties of documented violence against minorities, journalists, and others," Hasina said.

Calling the tribunal “bogus,” she argued that no credible jurist would endorse its verdict. "Its guilty verdict against me was a foregone conclusion. But no genuinely respected or professional jurist in the world would endorse the Bangladesh ICT."

Hasina also said the Yunus government's call for the death penalty revealed "the murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh’s last elected prime minister."

'Dr Yunus has dismantled democracy'

Hasina accused the interim government of overseeing social regression, media repression, and economic decline. "Public services have fallen apart. Police have retreated from crime-ridden streets and judicial fairness has been subverted. Journalists are locked up and menaced, economic growth has stalled, and Yunus has delayed elections and then banned the country’s most longstanding party," she said.

She also charged that Islamic extremists within the administration were working to dismantle Bangladesh's secular foundations.

'Bring the case before the ICC'

Hasina challenged the Yunus-led government to move the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC), asserting that she would be acquitted in a fair trial. "I am not afraid to face my accusers in a proper tribunal where the evidence can be weighed and tested fairly. That is why I have repeatedly challenged the interim government to bring these charges before the International Criminal Court in The Hague," she said. "The interim government will not accept this challenge because it knows that the ICC would acquit me. The interim government also fears that the ICC would scrutinise its own record of human rights breaches in office."

'No evidence of premeditated assault'

Hasina defended her administration's handling of the 2024 protests, claiming her government acted in good faith to maintain order. "In taking the actions we did to try to stem the disorder, Bangladesh’s political leaders acted in good faith and were trying to minimise the loss of life," she said.

She dismissed prosecution evidence, calling it fragmentary and taken out of context. "Transcripts and audio files cited as evidence are fragmentary and have been taken out of context. Operational control rested with security forces on the ground, acting under established legal protocols."

Hasina said that while students were initially allowed to protest freely, violence escalated after critical communication infrastructure was vandalised, forcing the government to intervene. "The government ensured their safety. Furthermore, I accepted all their demands. The situation worsened, however, from mid-July, with internet outages caused by protestors vandalizing critical communications infrastructure."

She also disputed the UN's fatality count of 1,400 deaths, saying Bangladesh's Health Ministry's verified toll was 834 and alleging that the higher figures included police officers, Awami League activists, and unverified cases. "To characterise what happened as a premeditated assault on citizens is simply to misread the facts," Hasina said.

'Proud of my record on rights and growth'

Hasina highlighted her government’s record on human rights and development, citing major achievements under her leadership. "We led Bangladesh to join the International Criminal Court in 2010, gave refuge to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar, expanded access to electricity and education, and presided over a 450% GDP growth over 15 years, lifting millions out of poverty."

She concluded by accusing the Yunus government of vengeful politics, saying its actions had plunged the nation into turmoil. "These achievements are a matter of historical record. They are not the acts of a leadership unconcerned by human rights. And Dr Yunus and his vengeful cronies can claim no achievements that are remotely comparable."