Tension rises in Dhaka after explosions occur hours before verdict involving Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh on Sunday saw late night Bangladesh blasts and simmering instability as authorities worked to stem tensions ahead of a key International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) verdict against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who could face the death penalty if convicted for a military crackdown on a student-led uprising last year.

In an emotional audio message published on the Awami League’s Facebook page overnight, Hasina implored her party supporters to keep up street protests despite a government ban. “There is nothing to be afraid of. I am alive. I will live. I will support the people of the country,” she said.

Ahead of the Sheikh Hasina verdict, the Awami League also called for a nationwide shutdown for Monday in protest over what it calls a politically motivated trial. In her audio address, Hasina also lauded supporters’ past efforts and called on them to take on the interim government.

“We have given a call for protest I hope that the people of Bangladesh will fulfil this program and show these usurers, murderers, militants, Yunus and those who are with him,” she said.

Hasina accused the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of plotting her ouster and carrying out a crackdown on Bangladesh political tension. She offered examples of harassment, with activists allegedly being stopped from schools, publicly beaten and denied freedoms. She also claimed that Bangladesh was being “turned into a militant state” and that the government was shielding the killers and arsonists. “Those who have killed police one after another lawyers, journalists, cultural activists their families will never get justice,” the former Prime Minister claimed.

HASINA DISMISSES CHARGES AS FABRICATED

The 78-year-old former Prime Minister is accused of crimes against humanity over the crackdown on a student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule last August. Hasina, who has been in exile in India since then, has denied the charges as fabricated and refused to appoint a lawyer to her defense in court, instead publicly denouncing her state-appointed representation.