Awami League Condemns Hasina’s Sentence As ‘Constitutional Mockery’

The Awami League has issued a strong statement expressing outrage at the ‘unlawful and unconstitutional’ six‑month prison sentence imposed on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

The Awami League denounced the ruling as a ‘false and farcical case’ aimed at targeting Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In its statement, the party alleged that the tribunal was ‘formed by an illegitimate interim militant regime’ and had blatantly violated established legal standards.

It accused the tribunal of issuing a biased verdict in under a month, deeming it unprecedented in Bangladesh’s legal history.

Sheikh Hasina was convicted of contempt of court over a leaked audio clip, which allegedly revealed her threatening interference with tribunal proceedings.

The tribunal also sentenced Shakil Akanda Bulbul, a leader of the Awami League’s student wing, to two months in jail for involvement in the same matter.

The plaintiff filed contempt charges in April, asserting the leaked conversation demonstrated attempts to influence ongoing judicial processes.

The Awami League accused the tribunal of denying Sheikh Hasina any opportunity to defend herself, stating that it ignored submissions from her legal counsel and imposed appearance deadlines without due process.

Tribunal accused of ‘Judicial Terrorism’

The Awami League labelled the proceedings ‘judicial terrorism’, saying that the tribunal trampled on the rule of law.

The Awami League accused the judicial process of targeting victims instead of upholding justice, stating that mob politics under the criminal Yunus-led interim government drove the entire process.

The party urged national and global citizens to rise against this judicial brutality, warning that Bangladesh is hurtling towards authoritarian destruction.

The Awami League asserted that the authorities failed to prove any crime beyond a reasonable doubt and directly challenged the legal basis of the sentence.

It further accused the tribunal of selectively targeting its leaders and maintained that Sheikh Hasina never violated the specific legal provision used to justify her sentencing.

The party highlighted ongoing political repression since August 2024, including the demolition of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Dhanmondi 32 residence by protesters.

It accused the interim government of enabling violence against the opposition and ‘rapidly pushing the country toward destruction’.

The Awami League appealed to all citizens to oppose this ‘reign of destruction’ and urged the world to condemn what it called the dismantling of democratic institutions.

It pledged to resist the ‘extremist interim militant clique’ and warned that global silence would equate to complicity.

The contempt conviction against Hasina marks the first formal sentence she has received since the mass uprising in August 2024, which led to her ousting and eventual exile in India.

The interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus is actively pursuing multiple other charges, ranging from crimes against humanity to corruption.

The Awami League’s robust rebellion could signal increasingly tense political conflict in Bangladesh, potentially undermining both domestic stability and the country’s global democratic standing.

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