‘An insult to kangaroos’: Brahma Chellaney tears into Bangladesh tribunal that sentenced Hasina to death

Geostrategist and author Brahma Chellaney has alleged that former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina did not flee to India on her own, but was forced out by the country’s powerful military amid the political turmoil that erupted in August last year.

In a sharply worded post, Chellaney claimed that Hasina was “effectively packed off” to India without even submitting a formal resignation. According to him, after placing the 78-year-old leader on a military flight bound for India, the Bangladesh Army chief addressed the nation on television to declare that he had taken charge until an interim administration was established.

Chellaney called it “doubly ironic” that the same unelected, military-backed regime, which he accused of overseeing widespread human-rights abuses, is now demanding Hasina’s extradition from India instead of explaining why the army forced her out in the first place.

He argued that international law does not empower an unconstitutionally installed regime to seek the extradition of an elected leader, especially one who was driven into exile by military coercion.

Chellaney also condemned the death sentence handed to Hasina this week by a tribunal appointed by the interim regime. He described the process as a “verdict written in advance” and said the proceedings were so compromised that “calling the tribunal a kangaroo court would be an insult to kangaroos.”

Hasina, 78, living in exile in Delhi since her August 5 ouster, was convicted of inciting violence, ordering killings of protesters and failing to stop atrocities during the student uprising. Former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan also received a death sentence, while ex-IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun got five years after turning state witness.

With elections due in February and the Awami League barred, the verdict is expected to reshape Bangladesh politics and may spark new unrest. Hasina called the ruling biased, while Yunus welcomed it, saying no one is above the law.