The Bangladesh Catholic Bishops Conference secretary has criticised the death sentence given to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina as unilateral and politically motivated, reaffirming the Church’s opposition to capital punishment. Source: CNA.
Bishop Ponen Paul Kubi CSC, of the Mymensingh Diocese, said the verdict handed down on Monday by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal was “one-sided” and that “the accused had no lawyer and that the current government used political power to give this verdict”.
“The Catholic Church has never supported the death penalty,” Bishop Kubi said. “I think that even if Sheikh Hasina committed a crime, she should be punished in a way that is remedial.”
Describing the verdict as an abuse of power, Bishop Kubi added: “If we judge in a hurry and give a verdict as we wish, we are no longer living in civilisation, we have gone back to the primitive era.”
The Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal found Hasina, 78, guilty of crimes against humanity related to the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in July and August 2024.
The court sentenced both Hasina and her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, to death in absentia. Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years in prison after turning state witness.
The 453-page verdict, broadcast live on state television, found Hasina guilty on three of five charges, including ordering the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons against protesters, and failing to prevent mass killings.
In July 2024, student protests against job quotas escalated into a mass uprising that forced Hasina to flee to India a month later. A United Nations investigation team reported that at least 1400 people were killed, though Bangladeshi activists believe the number exceeds 2000.
Hasina has been living in exile in India since fleeing the country. In a statement released through her Awami League party on Facebook, she called the verdicts “distasteful, biased, and politically motivated”.
The verdict prompted sharply divided reactions across Bangladesh. While the banned Awami League held protest marches in several parts of the country, ordinary people held joy marches in most areas, including Dhaka, where sweets were distributed.
FULL STORY
Catholic bishop calls Sheikh Hasina death sentence ‘one-sided’ and ‘abuse of power’ (By Stephan Uttom Rozario, CNA)
