Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Former Bangladeshi man sentenced to death this week Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina The charges of crimes against humanity are seen by his opponents as an opportunity to move forward for a nation traumatized by the scale of the violent uprising that ousted him from power.
Hasina has been in India since August 5 last year, when her 15-year rule ended amid violence that left hundreds dead and thousands injured. He dismissed Monday’s decision as “partisan and politically motivated.”
Challenges loom large for Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad YunusThere is pressure to hold a credible election in February after decades of rule by Hasina or her longtime rival.
Here’s what to know.
There is a tense election ahead
Bangladesh’s new leaders are determined to lead the South Asian nation back to democracy through upcoming elections, which they have made sure will not include Hasina and her. Awami League Team. But emotions remain high.
“The interim government has completely suppressed the Awami League… so the level of polarization is at an all-time high,” said analyst Michael Kugelman, a senior member of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.
The biggest concern, he said, is election-related violence.
Kugelman said, “Those in the Awami League may try to disrupt the election by inciting unrest. And with Bangladesh’s police force dealing with serious morale issues, there will be concerns about the state’s ability to manage violence.” Police in Bangladesh were on the front lines of the deadly crackdown in 2024 and some of their ranks were killed after protesters attacked police stations.
Hasina’s son has warned that if the ban on her political activities is not lifted, the party may try to disrupt the elections and that only inclusive elections can stabilize the country.
A ‘long game’ for Hasina
Despite Bangladesh’s renewed demand after Monday’s decision, India is unlikely to extradite Hasina.
“Hasina will likely bide her time, continue to manage her party’s affairs from India and play a long game with hopes of returning to politics if circumstances change in the coming years,” Kugelman said. “In the region, dynastic leaders and their parties may suffer losses, but they never go away.”
Sabir Mustafa, former chief analyst of the BBC’s Bengali service, said that without Hasina’s leadership the Awami League could be seriously demoralized, but the party needed reforms if it wanted to move forward.
“Therefore, Hasina needs to initiate reforms in the party herself,” he said, indicating that she would have to look towards the future if she eventually wants to return to politics.
Mustafa said the trial was “seriously flawed” and that the death sentence for a case held in absentia was unjust. Despite this, he said it would be a challenge to bring his supporters and others onto the streets to protest any time soon.
Mustafa said it would be difficult for the Awami League to make a comeback without reforms in the party and new leadership under Hasina’s guidance.
“That’s the kind of pill they’re going to have to bite,” he said.
New leaders under pressure
Human rights groups and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have expressed mixed reactions to the verdict and the trial process.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International raised questions about the fairness of the trial process, while the UN rights body said the verdict was “a watershed moment” for victims of last year’s crackdown that left hundreds dead, although it opposes the death penalty in all cases.
Given this, the Yunus-led administration will need to convince the international community about the credibility of the testing process.
For Kugelman, Yunus’s first priority – and his biggest challenge – is to ensure a secure and peaceful environment for the elections.
These are high-stakes polls: this is the first election in Bangladesh in almost 20 years in which there are strong expectations that the voting will be free and fair. The January 2024 election, which would have brought Hasina to power for a fourth consecutive term, was boycotted by opposition parties and led to violent protests and an international investigation.
Mustafa said Yunus has already failed his legacy as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate by presiding over numerous violations, including blatant mob justice, deaths in custody, widespread arrests and jailing of people, some without specific and credible charges, especially among Hasina supporters.
But he believes the international community will continue to support the interim leader.
“The challenge they face between now and February is to ensure that things run smoothly and that the elections in February are held in a peaceful and credible manner,” Mustafa said.
He said that, given the Awami League’s electoral ban, Yunus should ensure that the election is not rigged by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, or the country’s largest Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami.
“Thus he can revive his legacy as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.”