Sheikh Hasina
Credit: PTI Photo
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reacted to the court verdict sentencing her to death, calling the tribunal "rigged".
"Verdicts announced against me are made by a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate," Hasina, who was ousted last year said.
She said the verdict is 'biased and politically motivated' and added that she was not given a fair chance to defend.
"Not afraid to face my accusers in proper tribunal where evidence can be weighed, tested fairly," Hasina said reacting to the tribunal's verdict.
"We lost control of the situation but cannot characterise what happened as premeditated assault on citizens," she said.
A Bangladesh court sentenced her to death on Monday, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.
The Muslim-majority South Asian country of 170 million people has grappled with instability since Hasina fled to India in August 2024 at the height of the uprising.
(With Reuters inputs)