The Bangladesh Awami League has expressed its strongest protest and outrage against the unlawful and unconstitutional six-month prison sentence handed down in a false and farcical case against the daughter of the Father of the Nation and five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
This so-called tribunalโformed by the illegitimate and unconstitutional interim militant regimeโblatantly violated all norms and precedents of law and justice to issue this one-sided verdict in less than a month, the party said in a statement on Wednesday.
Such a disgraceful act is unprecedented in the history of Bangladeshโs judiciary. The extremist group led by the criminal Muhammad Yunus has trampled the rule of law and perverted justice in Bangladesh, turning the legal process into a mockeryโan act of โjudicial terrorismโ that even surpasses the infamous Kangaroo Court model, the statement added.
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On April 30, a contempt of court complaint was filed in the Jamaat-controlled International Crimes Tribunal based on a remark allegedly made in a phone conversation involving Sheikh Hasina. The tribunal accepted the complaint without granting her any opportunity for self-defense.
It did not hear the arguments of any legal counsel representing Sheikh Hasina, nor did it allow them to be heard. Instead, in a theatrical move, the tribunal ordered Sheikh Hasinaโwho is currently abroadโto appear before it by May 25.
The verdict was pronounced without any hearing or chance for defense.
According to the criminal justice system of Bangladesh, no individual can be declared guilty unless the crime is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This is one of the most fundamental principles of our penal law.
Furthermore, the specific provision of the tribunal law under which this sentence was issued was never violated by Sheikh Hasina in any manner whatsoever, the party said.
The Awami League believes that this is yet another chapter in the wave of mob violence engulfing the country. Under orders from the criminal Yunus and his militant faction, the nation is now witnessing judicial terrorism and farcical legal proceedings. It is in this context that a farcical, unilateral six-month sentence has been imposed on Sheikh Hasina in less than one month.
โWe believe this extremist interim government under the killer Yunus is rapidly pushing the country toward destruction. The people are growing increasingly outraged by this devastation. We call upon all conscientious citizens of the nation to rise against this injustice, against this destruction of the rule of law and the judicial system. We also appeal to the global conscience to take a stand.โ
The statement said the people of Bangladesh are preparing to resist this reign of destruction by the murderous, militant clique.
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