Sheikh Hasina’s sentencing a sham, Yunus regime is illegal and unelected: Sajeeb Wazed (IANS Interview)

New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) As ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death after being found guilty of committing crimes against humanity, her son Sajeeb Wazed on Thursday termed the entire judicial process as sham and eyewash. He also said that Yunus regime that took over after Hasina government was “unelected, unconstitutional, and illegal”.

Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka on Wednesday for alleged crimes against humanity, over a violent crackdown during student-led protests last year.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Sajeeb Wazed spoke about the death sentence, Bangladesh’s request to India for her extradition, and how Pakistan was influencing decision-making in Muhammad Yunus-led Bangladesh regime.

Here is the full interview:

IANS: Your reaction to Sheikh Hasina’s death sentence?

Sajeeb Wazed: This has been done illegally. It’s a mockery of law. First of all, there is a government which is unelected, unconstitutional, and illegal. Then, in order to fast-track the trial in tribunals, they had to amend laws, which you can only amend with Parliament. Currently, there is no parliament. So, the process itself was completely illegal. They terminated 17 judges on this tribunal and appointed a new judge who has no experience. He has publicly made a nasty comment about my mother. So, he is clearly biased. They have not allowed my mother to appoint any lawyer. They appointed their own lawyers to defend my mother. In the history of Bangladesh, such trials take years of hearings, but they completed this in 140 days. So, it’s a complete mockery of justice. There has been no due process. This is a joke.

IANS: Is it something to do with the upcoming elections in Bangladesh?

Sajeeb Wazed: Of course, it has got everything to do with elections. They have convicted my mother and amended laws with a malicious motive. They have tried to debar her from contesting elections by proving her guilty with a motivated tribunal and therefore it is total violation of the due process. You can’t ban someone until they have been convicted, which is why they had to rush the conviction. They have also banned our party, the Awami League, from the elections, which is the oldest and largest political party. They have completely banned it. We have almost half of the voters of the country, and now they have no one to vote for. They cannot vote for the party. But they are going ahead with the election. Not only the Awami League, but they have also partially banned the Jatiya Party. They have de facto banned all the secular parties. They have only allowed parties which are right-wing in the election. The whole situation is a charade to install a handpicked government in Bangladesh.

IANS: After the death sentence, Bangladesh is now requesting India to extradite her. Is this appeal genuine, how do you the issue panning out from here?

Sajeeb Wazed: For extradition to happen even with a treaty, there has to be law. First, there has to be a legal government, which this government is not. Second, due process has to be followed, which has not been followed. The process itself has to be legal, and the process here is illegal. So, on this basis, legally, India cannot extradite my mother. India has no obligations.

IANS: How do you assess India’s role under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to help and protect your mother?

Sajeeb Wazed: I am eternally grateful to PM Modi. He has saved my mother’s life and ensured her safety. He has ensured that my mother continues to live a safe and secure environment. For this, I am eternally grateful to Government of India and the people of India.

IANS: How do you see India responding to Bangladesh’s appeal for your mother’s extradition?

Sajeeb Wazed: I firmly believe that Modi government will not give in to the unconstitutional and illegal pressure of an illegal government under Yunus.

IANS: Is there any conspiracy by Muhammad Yunus regime to kill your mother?

Sajeeb Wazed: They will not be able to kill her. First of all, they can’t get her. And once there is rule of law, this entire process will be reviewed and thrown into the dustbin. Everything is so illegal and unconstitutional here. It violates every legal principle. Once there is rule of law, everything will be thrown out. Yunus cannot touch my mother, and he cannot do anything to her.

IANS: What would have been the response of the Congress party had it been in power in India?

Sajeeb Wazed: The Congress party would have done the exactly same thing. In India, there is rule of law and you have constitutional process. You people have always followed the Constitution and laws.

IANS: Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has not issued even a single statement in your mother’s support. Is it disappointing for you?

Sajeeb Wazed: No, I don’t have any opinion on this.

IANS: How is Pakistan affecting decisions in Yunus-led Bangladesh government?

Sajeeb Wazed: Pakistan is influencing this government’s decisions. This regime has been helped by Pakistan from the very beginning. Pakistan was involved in protests against my mother. As you have seen, this government is fostering very close ties with Pakistan and letting Pakistani organisations have a free hand in Bangladesh. Lashkar-e-Taiba—their commanders have been in Bangladesh, speaking, and have taken credit for the recent bomb attack in New Delhi. So, Bangladesh under Yunus is acting as an extension of Pakistan and a terrorist haven.

IANS: Should the Nobel Prize given to Yunus should be taken back, in view of the gross violations of human rights in Bangladesh?

Sajeeb Wazed: The Nobel committees never take back their prizes. But look at Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. She won the Nobel Prize as well. The Peace Prize is basically given by lobbying. But she led in Rohingyas getting killed, and now Yunus is turning Bangladesh into a failed state and an Islamist terrorist state.

IANS: Will Sheikh Hasina be able to visit Bangladesh again, what do you think?

Sajeeb Wazed: I am confident that she will return to Bangladesh in future. She is the daughter of Bangladesh. Our party is the largest. We are not going anywhere. We have millions of supporters.

IANS: Have the Awami League members and leaders in Bangladesh been subjected to harassment under present dispensation?

Sajeeb Wazed: Yes, we have tens of thousands of our leaders and activists behind bars. We have 100 members of Parliament, who are behind bars. There have been no trials and no investigations. They have no charges but have been denied bail again and again. They are political prisoners. But our party is very big. You can’t arrest everybody, as there is no space in prisons.

IANS: Is the Yunus regime pursuing vendetta politics against Sheikh Hasina and her party?

Sajeeb Wazed: Of course, this is political revenge. Yunus is backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, who killed 3 million of our people during the War of Independence. Our government finally held trials for that war. This is Jamaat’s revenge, and Jamaat never wanted Bangladesh to be independent from Pakistan. Now, Jamaat is trying to come into power with Yunus and make Bangladesh ‘an extension of Pakistan’.

–IANS

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