More than 24 hours after Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) delivered the death sentence verdict against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ex-Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, neither the US nor the UK have spoken out against the capital punishment judgement.
The Indian External Affairs Ministry made a rather insipid statement without even decrying the International Crimes Tribunal’s death sentence against a former woman head of government. “India has noted the verdict announced by the ‘International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh’ concerning former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end,” the statement said.
This is far from an outright rejection of the verdict of the ICT which has shown scant respect for the rule of law, due process or even the application of the basic principles governing justice delivery and jurisprudence.
While commenting on the sentence, the ICT-appointed defence lawyer, Mohammad Amir Hossain, wore a wide grin before saying he was “sad” as he would not be able to move in appeal as his “clients are absent”.
The Indian establishment promised to “engage constructively with all stakeholders” to uphold peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in Bangladesh. But some Awami League leaders Northeast News spoke with said they expected a “more forthright statement from New Delhi, especially when a death sentence has been passed against a woman”.
On her part, Hasina, in all the interviews she has given to western and Indian media platforms, scrupulously avoided speaking out against the US which is suspected to be behind the regime change operation in Bangladesh in July-August 2024.
In a strong statement following the ICT’s death penalty sentence against Hasina and Kamal, Amnesty International said on November 17, “this trial and sentence is neither fair nor just. Victims need justice and accountability, yet the death penalty simply compounds human rights violations. It’s the ultimate cruel, degrading and inhuman punishment and has no place in any justice process”.
The total silence on the part of the US State Department and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, however, says more than spoken words. The US and UK missions in Dhaka were extremely vocal when they used strong words to accuse Sheikh Hasina’s erstwhile regime of committing human rights abuses and other excesses. The UK abolished the death penalty in 1998.
In 2023, quoting the then American Ambassador Peter Haas, Human Rights Watch said in a report that “US has serious concerns about human rights and the future of democracy in Bangladesh”.
In 2022, the American Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement that the “United States is committed to a world in which human rights are protected, their defenders are celebrated, and those who commit human rights abuses are held accountable”.
ALSO READ: CPI condemns detention of 44 Kashmir workers in Assam
In September 2023, the British High Commission in Dhaka said in a statement, following the Fifth UK-Bangladesh Strategic Dialogue, that the “UK also underlined the need to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
In January 2024, following the so-called elections in Bangladesh, Cooke said that her government would “continue to engage constructively with the government and political parties”.
A November 2023 Home Office report produced a lengthy report on human rights abuses by the Bangladesh police and other law enforcement agencies. In July 2024, 22 British MPs signed a significant motion that highlighted “grave concerns” regarding the human rights situation in Bangladesh.
