SnarkShark
Well-known member
Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is facing a potentially deadly reckoning after prosecutors demanded the death penalty for her over the deadliest crackdown on student-led protests in years.
The protests, which ousted Hasina from power last year, resulted in at least 1,400 deaths and left Bangladesh reeling with widespread violence. According to leaked audio recordings, security forces were ordered to "use lethal weapons" against protesters by Hasina herself.
Despite the mounting evidence of her complicity, Hasina vehemently denies any wrongdoing, and her defense team argues that she was forced to take drastic action in response to violent protests. However, chief prosecutor Tajul Islam has made it clear that he believes Hasina's actions amount to a war crime and warrants 1,400 death sentences - or at least one.
In reality, however, the odds of Bangladesh handing out so many death sentences are slim, given its own constitution that prohibits capital punishment for ordinary crimes.
The trial of Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun continues. The prosecution has already secured a conviction against Hasina for contempt of court, while she also faces corruption charges.
For now, the country is bracing itself for an election in February that may be won by Hasina's long-time rival party BNP.
The protests, which ousted Hasina from power last year, resulted in at least 1,400 deaths and left Bangladesh reeling with widespread violence. According to leaked audio recordings, security forces were ordered to "use lethal weapons" against protesters by Hasina herself.
Despite the mounting evidence of her complicity, Hasina vehemently denies any wrongdoing, and her defense team argues that she was forced to take drastic action in response to violent protests. However, chief prosecutor Tajul Islam has made it clear that he believes Hasina's actions amount to a war crime and warrants 1,400 death sentences - or at least one.
In reality, however, the odds of Bangladesh handing out so many death sentences are slim, given its own constitution that prohibits capital punishment for ordinary crimes.
The trial of Hasina alongside her ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun continues. The prosecution has already secured a conviction against Hasina for contempt of court, while she also faces corruption charges.
For now, the country is bracing itself for an election in February that may be won by Hasina's long-time rival party BNP.
. The thought of 1,400 death sentences being handed out is just chilling 
. And the fact that it might not happen because of their own constitution is almost comical 
. But seriously, who knows how politics works in this country? With an election coming up and Hasina's party potentially losing power, maybe she'll get a free pass or something? The trial is just dragging on anyway, but at least the prosecution has gotten one conviction against her already 
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. But I'm not sure how much it'll change anything at this point. The system is clearly broken, and people will do whatever it takes to maintain power 
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. It's been years since they happened, and yet there are still so many unanswered questions 
. Maybe this trial will finally bring some closure to the victims' families or something... a guy can dream, right? 
but at the same time, i feel bad for her - 1400 people lost their lives because of her actions... it's not fair to punish her like this too. and now with the election coming up, it's like everyone's trying to figure out what's gonna happen next 
also, what's up with the election in Feb? like, is it gonna be rigged or wut? 
but at the same time, if she really did order those security forces to use lethal force against protesters then that's a whole different level of wrong 
and what about the trial? is this just another way for them to keep her in power? 
i don't trust these prosecutors one bit 