Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has denied committing crimes against humanity during a deadly crackdown on last year's uprising that ousted her, days before the special tribunal trying her is due to deliver a verdict.
Hasina is accused of being the main architect behind hundreds of killings during the mass protests against her autocratic rule - an allegation she denies.
In her first interview with the BBC since she fled the country on 5 August 2024, she said her trial in absentia was a farce orchestrated by a kangaroo court controlled by political opponents.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Hasina if she is found guilty on Monday.
Hasina claimed the trial was destined to deliver a pre-ordained guilty verdict. Security has been tightened in and around the tribunal in the capital Dhaka ahead of Monday's verdict, which will mark a significant moment for the country as well as for the relatives of those killed during the student-led anti-government protests that ousted Hasina.
UN human rights investigators have said up to 1,400 people were killed when Hasina and her government used systematic, deadly violence against protesters during their failed bid to maintain power.
The former prime minister has refused to return from India to attend the trial and has been accused of personally ordering security forces to fire at protesters in the weeks before she fled.
In an email interview, Hasina told the BBC she categorically denied such allegations. I'm not denying that the situation got out of control, nor that many lives were lost needlessly. But I never issued any order to fire on unarmed civilians, she stated.
Leaked audio of one of her verified phone calls suggested she had authorized the use of lethal weapons in July 2024, which was played in court during the trial. Hasina was formally indicted along with two others in July this year.
The accusations against Hasina extend to her government’s actions throughout her 15-year rule, during which secret jails allegedly held prisoners unlawfully. After her removal from power, multiple critics who went missing were found to have been detained without legal process.
Hasina maintained her innocence regarding involvement in alleged extrajudicial killings and disappearances, expressing willingness to have any evidence of abuse examined impartially.
Additionally, lawyers representing her have filed an urgent appeal to the UN citing serious concerns about fair trial standards at the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh. With upcoming general elections in February, the Awami League is already banned from participating.
