- Sheikh Hasina denied allegations of crimes against humanity during her tenure in Bangladesh
- She accused the interim government under Muhammad Yunus of trying to finish off her party Awami League
- Hasina claimed Yunus's regime granted amnesty to criminals and hindered justice for victims
A Bangladesh court hearing the serious charges against the country's ousted Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has said she deserves maximum punishment for crimes against humanity during the uprising in the neighbouring country last year. Ahead of the verdict, Hasina said the allegations against her were false and that she did not care about such verdicts.
In an audio message to her supporters ahead of the ruling of the International Crimes Tribunal, the Awami League leader has said the interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus wants to finish off her party. "It is not so easy, Awami League has come up from the grassroots, not from the pocket of some usurper of power, " the 78-year-old said in Bengali.
Hasina said her supporters had responded spontaneously to protest plans in Bangladesh. "They have given us faith. People will show this corrupt, militant, and murderer Yunus and his aides how Bangladesh can turn around; the people will do justice," she said.
READ: "Painful To Leave My Homeland": Sheikh Hasina To NDTV On Bangladesh Ouster
A close ally of India, Hasina, fled to Delhi last year after a nationwide protest against her government turned violent. She resigned just before her escape. Following her escape, an interim government led by Yunus took charge and accused her of crimes against humanity. The court hearing the case ordered Hasina to join the trial in Dhaka, but she defied the summons.
Asking her supporters not to worry, the veteran leader said, "I am alive, I will stay alive, I will work for the welfare of people again, and I will do justice on Bangladesh's soil."
Accusing Yunus of usurping power, she said the Bangladesh constitution says removing elected representatives from their posts by force is punishable. "Yunus has done exactly that through his meticulous designs," she said.
Her government, she said, had accepted the demands of the student protesters during last year's uprising, but fresh demands kept coming in. "The aim was to create an anarchic situation."
Trashing the allegations of human rights violations against her regime, she said, "I gave refuge to 10 lakh Rohingya and they accuse me of violating human rights?"
The Yunus-led regime, she said, gave amnesty to people who murdered cops, Awami League workers, lawyers, journalists, and cultural personalities. "But by extending amnesty to such people, he has effectively brought the blame on himself," she said.
The amnesty has closed the doors of justice for the victims' family members, Hasina said. "What kind of humanity is this?" she asked.
"Let them issue a verdict. I don't care. Allah gave me life, Allah will take it, but I will keep working for the people of my country. I have lost my parents, my siblings, and they burnt down my home," she said.
Slamming the vandalism and loot at Gonobhaban, the Bangladesh Prime Minister's residence, after her ouster, she said, "Gonobhaban is not my property, it is government property. They are saying it is a revolution. Hooligans and terrorists cannot bring a revolution."
Stressing that such court rulings won't stop her, Hasina said, I am with the people. I am telling my party workers: don't worry, it is a matter of time, I know you are suffering, we will not forget this, everything will be accounted for. And I believe I will be able to give it back, inshallah," she said.
The Awami League government, she said, changed people's lives. "Today, the number of unemployed people is increasing. There is no income. There is no production in the country. Industries are closing down. Banks are being looted. We have to free Bangladesh from this situation. Everyone, please stay well. Jai Bangla, Jai Bangla, Bangladesh," she said.
