Sheikh Hasina Challenges ICT Verdict, Calls for Independent Investigation and Fair Trial

I reject, in the strongest possible terms, the death sentence announced on 15 September by the ICT against leaders of the Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League. This is not the verdict of an independent court. It is a political act of revenge written by those who came to power through violence, conspiracy and constitutional illegitimacy. This verdict is biased, politically motivated and designed to weaken the Awami League by fear and intimidation. I reject every allegation made in this case. These charges are false, manufactured and aimed at criminalising the lawful duty of a government to protect public life, property and national institutions.

The allegations against Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, A.F.M. Bahauddin Nasim, Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, General Secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Bangladesh Chhatra League President Saddam Hossain, General Secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan are politically manufactured. The highest punishment has been announced against them in their absence. A process in which the accused are denied a genuine opportunity to defend themselves, appoint counsel freely, cross-examine witnesses, examine evidence, test forensic material and exercise the right to appeal cannot be called justice.

ICT was formed to try war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during our great Liberation War of 1971. Today, that institution has been turned into an instrument of political repression. A law created to prosecute war criminals is now being distorted and used against the political forces that stand for the Liberation War, secularism, constitutional order and the sovereignty of Bangladesh. Through partisan appointments of judges and prosecutors, the tribunal has been reduced to a machinery for dictated verdicts.

The quota reform movement of July-August 2024 was not an ordinary or spontaneous student movement. Behind the demand for quota reform, there was a blueprint to overthrow an elected government and capture power through illegal and unconstitutional means. From the beginning, my government showed patience, restraint and willingness to resolve the issue peacefully. But the movement was deliberately pushed towards violence, arson, vandalism and deaths in order to create the conditions for regime change.

After taking power, Muhammad Yunus himself described the movement as "meticulously designed". People associated with that movement later admitted, at different times, that their objective was not merely quota reform, but the fall of the government. They also spoke of preparations for armed confrontation. Leaders of the so-called anti-discrimination student movement publicly stated that metro rail was burned and police personnel were killed to make the movement successful. BNP leaders also openly claimed that police killings helped the movement succeed. Those who publicly admitted their role in violence and deaths have been given indemnity. Those who stood against anarchy, extremism and conspiracy have been sentenced to death. What a cruel mockery of justice.

From the beginning of this conspiracy, Chhatra League was deliberately targeted. On 16 July, Sabuj Ali, a Chhatra League activist of Dhaka College, became the first victim of killing. He was brutally beaten to death in front of Dhaka College. On the same day, in Muradpur, Chattogram, Chhatra League leaders and activists were violently attacked and thrown from the roof of a multi-storey building. Thereafter, Awami League leaders and activists across the country were attacked indiscriminately. Police personnel performing law-and-order duties were attacked. Government establishments were destroyed. These were not isolated incidents. They were part of a planned campaign of chaos to bring down the government. Now, in order to hide the real responsibility for that anarchy, false cases have been built against Awami League leaders.

I formed a judicial inquiry commission to investigate the deaths and injuries connected with the quota movement. I instructed that every killing be properly investigated, that the real facts be established, and that the truth be placed before the people. But after Yunus took power, that inquiry was shut down. Why was it stopped? What were they afraid of? Why were post-mortems not allowed? Why were the weapons and bullets used in the violence not subjected to proper forensic examination? Why were the protesters given indemnity? Those who truly want justice do not stop investigations. Those who believe in the rule of law do not hide evidence.

In criminal justice, the severest punishment can only be imposed when the standard of proof is the highest and every stage of the process follows internationally recognised fair-trial standards. A political speech, a party position, an administrative responsibility or an organisational identity cannot automatically become criminal liability. For each accused person, a specific crime, a specific instruction, the execution of that instruction and personal criminal responsibility must be proved. None of these standards has been followed in this staged tribunal process.

That is why I demand that the full record of this trial, all witness statements, forensic materials, digital evidence, the alleged command chain and all prosecution submissions be opened for examination by independent and internationally recognised legal experts. International courts, international observers and neutral specialists must be allowed to review this process. If the allegations are true, let them be proved through a transparent judicial process that meets international standards. Truth cannot be established by a verdict delivered through a kangaroo court.

Bangladesh today is suffering on every front. There is no reliable electricity or gas supply. Innocent children are dying because of vaccine shortages. Women and children are unsafe inside and outside their homes. Farmers are struggling for fertiliser. The cost of living has become unbearable. Law and order has collapsed. There is no justice, no security, no democratic right, no freedom of expression. Minority communities live in deep fear. The hill districts are disturbed. Ordinary people are exhausted by extortion, occupation and lawlessness. This verdict has been announced to divert public attention from these failures. It is a tactic to hide the incompetence of those now in power. Those who came through bloodshed, arson and conspiracy are now staging a drama of revenge in the name of justice.

Since 1975, anti-Liberation and anti-Bangladesh forces have tried again and again to destroy the Awami League. The Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated along with almost his entire family. Repeated attempts have been made to assassinate me. The 21 August grenade attack was carried out to eliminate me and the Awami League leadership. Our leaders and workers have been killed, tortured, prosecuted and imprisoned. But the Awami League has not been destroyed. It cannot be destroyed. The Awami League is tied to the very existence of Bangladesh. It lives in the hearts of the people. This latest attempt by the present occupying forces will also fail. With the people by our side, the Awami League will resist this conspiracy and protect Bangladesh.

I once again reject the verdict of ICT as illegal, inhuman, unconstitutional, politically motivated and a grave assault on the justice system. I demand a fair, independent, transparent and internationally credible judicial process. I demand a genuine investigation into every death, and I demand justice for every victim. I also call for the immediate withdrawal of the ban on the political activities of the Awami League, the release of all political prisoners, the withdrawal of all false and politically motivated cases, an end to violence against women and children, decisive action against militancy and terrorism, and full protection of freedom of expression and the lives and property of our people. The Bangladesh Awami League knows how to stand for its legitimate demands and how to achieve them through the strength of the people.

To the people of Bangladesh, I say: do not lose hope and do not be misled. No anti-Bangladesh occupying force can survive for long by standing on falsehood. No matter how much they misuse the name of the court, the final verdict will come from the court of the people. Bangladesh must be freed from the politics of revenge. Bangladesh must return to the path of rule of law, democracy, human rights, secularism, development and peace.

I stand with my country, my party, my colleagues and my people. The struggle for truth against this injustice will continue. In the judgment of history, falsehood will be defeated, and truth will prevail.

Joy Bangla. Joy Bangabandhu.