Bangladesh tribunal bans Sheikh Hasina's 'genocide' speech

Sectarian tension escalates in Bangladesh between Hindus and Muslims after the arrest of Hindu monk

Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has accused the country’s interim government of failing to protect its minorities. AFP

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday ordered a ban on the publication or broadcasting of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s speeches after she accused the country’s interim government of Muhammad Yunus in failing to protect its minorities and of perpetrating a “genocide”.

Ms Hasina, who has been hiding at a safe house in Delhi after fleeing Dhaka following deadly protests by students in August, made her first public speech, recorded on Sunday and released on Wednesday, to mark the nation’s Victory Day commemorating the defeat of Pakistan during Bangladesh’s liberation war of 1971.

The speech was addressed to the supporters of her Awami League Party as part of an event held in New York on Sunday.

“Today, I am being accused of genocide. In reality, Yunus has been involved in genocide in a meticulously designed manner. The masterminds, the student co-ordinators, and Yunus are behind this genocide,” Ms Hasina said.

Shafiqul Alam, the press secretary to Mr Yunus, dismissed the allegations and accused Ms Hasina of committing crimes against the population.

“Sheikh Hasina ordered the murder of students, workers and other people in the July-August mass uprising,” Mr Alam told The National. “Five hundred people were shot dead and she is charged with murders. We are surprised by her allegations against the interim government.”

The ICT said that Ms Hasina was accused in several cases and her “hate speech” could hinder legal proceedings, AFP reported.

“Sheikh Hasina is an accused in several cases currently under investigation by the tribunal and the prosecution. We sought a ban on disseminating her hate speech as it could hinder legal proceedings or intimidate witnesses and victims,” Golam Monawar Hossain Tamim, ICT prosecutor, told reporters.

“If her speeches continue to circulate, it will become difficult to bring witnesses to the tribunal,” he added.

The tribunal has ordered the relevant authorities to remove existing speeches by Ms Hasina, 77, from various platforms and to ensure that no similar ones are published in the future.

The fugitive leader alleged that police personnel, members of minority communities and leaders of her party were killed while places of worship of minorities were being attacked.

“Hindus, Buddhists, Christians – no one has been spared. Eleven churches have been razed, and temples and Buddhist shrines have been broken. When the Hindus protested, the Iskcon leader was arrested,” Ms Hasina said.

Her allegations come amid sectarian tension between supporters of a Hindu leader and Muslims following the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das, a Hindu monk on charges of sedition.

Mr Das, who has been leading rallies demanding security for Hindus in the Muslim-dominated nation, was accused of disrespecting the country’s national flag after raising a saffron flag over it. Saffron is a colour associated with Hinduism.

His arrest caused widespread clashes between his supporters and police at the court, leading to the killing of a lawyer by his supporters. Mr Das’s lawyer was also attacked this week by a mob.

India, a Hindu-majority nation and a lead backer of Ms Hasina, and parliamentarians in the UK accused Bangladesh of attacks on minorities.

Bangladesh, however, told the UN and other international agencies that Mr Das was arrested on specific charges and there has been no systematic attack on minorities in the country. Hours before Ms Hasina's speech was released, Mr Yunus said on Wednesday that there were rumours of attacks to undermine the efforts of the interim government to rebuild Bangladesh following the toppling of Ms Hasina's 15-year autocratic rule.

She is accused of crimes against humanity and is being investigated for her alleged role in the deaths of student protesters, which led to her ouster in August.