Shashi Tharoor Condemns Death Penalty for Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina in Absentia Trial

Shashi Tharoor has expressed significant concern regarding the death sentence issued to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, describing it as "very troubling."

New Delhi:

On Monday, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor voiced his dismay over the death penalty handed to ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, characterizing the development as deeply concerning.

Hasina, who sought refuge in India following her removal from power in August last year, received a death sentence in absentia from a special tribunal in Bangladesh for alleged "crimes against humanity."

When speaking to reporters, Tharoor stated, "Both domestically and abroad, I don't believe in the death penalty. So I find that particularly dismaying."

The former Minister of State for External Affairs further elaborated, "Also, a trial in absentia where somebody doesn't get a chance to defend themselves, explain themselves, and then you declare a death penalty, it seems to me - it's not appropriate for me to comment on the internal matters of another country's judiciary, but I must say, I cannot say that I find it a very positive development. It's a very troubling development."

The International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD) issued death sentences to both Hasina and her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, in their absence for alleged "crimes against humanity" during student protests that occurred last year.

Responding to the verdict from Delhi where she currently resides, Sheikh Hasina firmly denied the accusations, describing them as "biased and politically motivated." The 78-year-old former leader claimed the judgment came from a "rigged tribunal" established and overseen by an "unelected government with no democratic mandate."

In her statement, Hasina asserted, "In their distasteful call for the death penalty, they reveal the brazen and murderous intent of extremist figures within the interim government to remove Bangladesh's last elected prime minister and to nullify the Awami League as a political force."

Hasina, whose Awami League party has been prohibited from participating in the upcoming February elections, declared she was not afraid to confront her "accusers" in a proper tribunal where evidence could be fairly evaluated.

She emphasized, "That is why I have repeatedly challenged the interim government to bring these charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague."