Sheik Hasina, once the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has emphatically stated that Mohammed Junus, the chief of the transitional government, is a “tyrannical dictator” and has requested the United Nations to open an inquiry into the development of disorder and riots after her exile. This statement was pronounced in the form of a sound file during a media briefing in New Delhi.
Hasina’s Counter-accusations and Request that the United Nations Should Take Action
She further protested against the current regime by demanding that “the United Nations should ‘provide for exploration of information and events of the last year in manner that is truly independent and neutral”. She also claimed that the country could not just sit idle and watch replicated republic ideas that have been ‘systematically destroyed every time elections have been held in the past’.
She blamed Yunus and his backers for masterminding chaos across the largest country in South-East Asia that abruptly put an end to her 16-year longs therefore stating -only to be cynical- that she drew his ire. According to her: Bandybayated raised many questions during the united agitation after which, in the end, the change of the government was really pointless and wasteful it was a ‘well directed change’ meant the overthrow of an elected regime.
The former Prime Minister alleged that the caretaker government extinguishes liberty of media, restrains religious minorities, and fails to sustain the law and order situation in the country. She gave the perspective that Bangladesh is ‘living in an epoch of terror’ and made a plea to sult the hard core in ‘forgetting the other day’s fresh acts of violence and lawlessness’ in order to allow some stable process to take place.
Approaching the matter from a different side, Hasina also reminded the temporary authorities that it was time to put to an end the terror directed towards the religious minorities, the women and girls and the harassment of the media and opposition politicians including members of her party, the Awami League. Therefore, the Prime Minister Hasina expects the judiciary to be cleansed as without that no credible election can happen.
Political context and election stakes
The nation is due for national elections on February 12; this will be the first such configuration after the removal of Hasina. In May the ruling regime also aroused anger from the political class by banning all functions of the Awami League without passing through any due process. This was captured under the country’s anti- terrorism laws. Expectations were also low on how well the approaching elections would address such concerns.
In November, the highest court of appeal sentenced Hasina to death for war crimes committed during the 1971 war. Declaring the charges as false, the prime minister even cautioned of a scenario in which millions of her supporters would opt to steer clear of the coming elections if her party was not allowed to compete in the polls.
In August of 2024, Hasina escaped to India after suffering from violent protests staged and championed by the students. So she has been living along with her family in the state of Delhi hence the present communication carries a vital message given that it is one of the few public utterances that she has made since you-know-when she opted to reside indoors.
Issues, risk and international considerations
The main target of hostility in Hasina’s speech was Professor Yunus, whom Hasina accused of betraying the country for the eviction of the country’s land and resources. There were calls for unity between the different political parties and combat as she mentioned some historical events likening the current regime to that of ‘colonialism’ encouraging the people to fight back.
The alternative government has kept mum so far about Hasina’s recent allegations, while the call for a United Nations investigation could bring attention to the relevant international law on human rights, electoral violations and limitations on freedoms to undertake peaceful activities among others. An inquiry would nevertheless be difficult to implement due to the necessary political and operational difficulties.
An accredited analysis indicates real contribution will be possible only in case cooperation with Dhaka and well-defined framework are taken as granted. Certainly, access restrictions (entry permit and such) which are applied during a report, may be heavily criticised due to the absence of visual and perceptual material credibility for support especially by human rights organizations, which also have expressed anxiety at the fact that opposition political and media systems are being curtailed.
What is next
What should be watched out for in the next days comprises any official response by the refrain and spatially, activities of the Awami League and its supporters before the 12th of February and other potential formal inquiries that might be encouraged ongoing the UN and any other relevant international organizations.
Bangladesh’s democratic setup is fairly mature, despite all the criticism due to recent elections. Nevertheless it will require rigorous democratic practices within the home front and external actors to be vigilant so that institutional failures fail to undermine the current dispensation in the weeks ahead. A good number of Bangladeshis ask themselves whether there is any possibility of bringing about rapprochement among themselves- this is a sizable percentage of non-governmental organisations, human rights activists and journalists.
