NO APOLOGY
The Bangladeshi government has said it will ensure Hasina receives due legal process in all cases against her should she return.
Rights groups have long accused Hasina’s administration of a litany of abuses, including the murder of rivals, suppression of opposition parties, rigged courts and one-sided elections.
But Hasina defended her record, saying many of the allegations were “politically constructed campaigns”.
“Every time allegations were made, investigations were opened and those involved in crimes were brought to justice.”
Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that Bangladeshi authorities were failing to uphold international legal standards.
“Those responsible for the many abuses committed under the Sheikh Hasina government should be appropriately held to account, but many prosecutions are falling short of international fair trial standards,” said its deputy Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly.
Hasina dismissed allegations that she sanctioned excessive force during the student protests that led to her ouster.
“My government showed the highest level of patience and tried to guide the student movement towards a peaceful solution,” she said.
She characterised the uprising as more than “merely an ordinary student protest”.
“It had become a planned operation driven by hidden instructions, organised violence, propaganda and the objective of overthrowing the government,” she said.
She refused to comment about the nationwide youth-led protests in India that forced the education minister to resign last week.
Asked if she planned to resume political activity upon her return – with her Awami League party effectively banned in Bangladesh – Hasina did not offer a direct answer.
“Power is not my destination. Service to the people is.”
Hasina said she had “sympathy for every family that lost a loved one” but stopped short of offering an apology.
She also sidestepped questions about whether she regretted any of her decisions during the uprising.
“Decisions of state are not made by one person alone, and they cannot be judged honestly by isolating one moment from the whole crisis,” she said.
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