'Be it in the country or abroad, death penalty is...', what did Shashi Tharoor say on the hanging of Sheikh Hasina?

News Topical, Digital Desk : Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death by a special court in Dhaka on Monday. The sentence was handed down in absentia. She has been accused of committing "crimes against humanity" during last year's student protests. Hasina has been living in India since her ouster in August 2024.

The court also sentenced Hasina to death along with her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, by the International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD).

Shashi Tharoor expressed deep displeasure

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor called the decision deeply concerning. He said, “I do not believe in the death penalty, anywhere in the country or abroad. Therefore, this decision saddens me greatly.”

Tharoor raised the most pressing question about the trial in absentia. He said, "When a person is not present, unable to present his side, unable to argue his case, and then sentenced to death, it doesn't seem fair."

Although he also added that it is not right to comment on the judicial matters of another country, but he does not consider this decision positive.

What has Sheikh Hasina said on the decision?

Sheikh Hasina, 78, who lives in Delhi, has vehemently rejected the verdict, calling it "completely biased and politically motivated." Hasina said the sentence was handed down by a sham court formed by an illegitimate interim government that was not elected by the people.

She alleged that extremist forces within the interim government wanted to assassinate her and completely destroy the Awami League. "I am not afraid to stand before my accusers, provided the trial is fair," Hasina said.

Hasina challenged to go to ICC

Sheikh Hasina has openly challenged the interim government. She said, "If these allegations have merit, then take them to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. There, the true test of evidence will take place."

Significantly, the Awami League has also been barred from contesting the February elections, a move Hasina has described as a murder of democracy.

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