Political analyst and former Member of Parliament Golam Mawla Rony has expressed concern over the ongoing judicial proceedings against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the International Crimes Tribunal.
According to Rony, the same court that once prosecuted and executed top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami for war crimes is now trying Sheikh Hasina, which he sees as an ironic turn in political history.
He stated, “The International Crimes Tribunal, which Sheikh Hasina herself established to prosecute war criminals, is now trying her. This same tribunal executed the top Jamaat leaders. Now the same court is working to secure the death penalty against her in the ongoing case.”
He further claimed, “She has already been convicted in one case. The efforts now seem directed towards ensuring that the remaining verdicts also lead to a death sentence.”
Speaking on the charges against Sheikh Hasina, Rony said, “During the July-August revolution, state forces committed violence, opened fire from helicopters, and denied medical treatment in hospitals— all allegedly under the direct patronage of Sheikh Hasina. Investigators have already submitted these allegations to the court.”
However, Rony remarked that such events failed to create the expected stir in national politics. “The political discourse in the country still revolves around personal rumors and the presence of Hasina,” he said.
Regarding recent international media coverage of Sheikh Hasina, Golam Mawla Rony commented, “BBC and Al Jazeera did air reports against Sheikh Hasina, but not even one percent of our population watched those. Among those who did, only one in ten thousand watched the full reports. There’s been no protest or visible outrage in the streets.”
He believes that such reports have only emboldened the ruling party. “These reports have given strength to the Awami League rather than affecting public opinion,” he said.
On the mindset of the Awami League, he commented, “It appears that the Awami League is neither afraid nor worried. On the contrary, they are boldly claiming—‘Yes, we fired. If we hadn’t, the country would not have survived.’”
Golam Mawla Rony added, “Over the past 15 years, we have presented information about many powerful individuals—Salman F Rahman, Harun Rashid, or Summit Group—but we haven’t been able to touch a hair on their heads. Trials in court require evidence; media reports alone don’t suffice.”
