Questions raised on fairness of Hasina’s trial

Questions have arisen about the fairness of former Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina’s trial and sentencing by a domestic war crimes tribunal in view of a string of procedural and legal lapses, including changes to the scope of the court itself by the interim government, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

- Rezaul H Laskar

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Monday handed down the death sentence to 78-year-old Hasina for ordering the use of lethal force while cracking down on student-led protests last year, and a separate sentence of imprisonment until death for being complicit in crimes against civilians by law enforcement and armed cadres of her Awami League party.

The ICT was created on the basis of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973 and was intended to address crimes of genocide committed during Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971, Amendments to the ICT's scope were made after the interim government assumed power in August 2024 through an ordinance and were thus “invalid ab-initio” as they weren't approved by Parliament, the people said on condition of anonymity. Bangladesh's president isn't empowered to issue an ordinance for the amendments as the dissolution of Parliament wasn't done in line with established procedures, the people said.