The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka announced the verdict against Sheikh Hasina on Monday. Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has been sentenced to death. After hearing the verdict, the exiled Sheikh Hasina has now issued a reaction.

Denying all charges, Sheikh Hasina clearly stated that the verdict is “biased.” The Bangladesh Awami League has called for a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday in protest of the ruling.

In a written statement following the verdict, Sheikh Hasina claimed that there is no evidence supporting the allegations of human rights violations brought against Sheikh Hasina. Rather, many human rights and development-related accomplishments were achieved during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, and Sheikh Hasina is proud of those. The Awami League leader claimed that the verdict was politically motivated, and that it was delivered by an illegal tribunal controlled by an unelected government. Sheikh Hasina also rejected the death sentence. According to Sheikh Hasina, “This verdict is merely a reflection of the shamelessness and murderous mindset of the extremists within the interim government. This has been done to remove the last elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh and dismantle the Awami League politically.”

Sheikh Hasina wrote, “I completely reject all charges brought against Sheikh Hasina by this tribunal. I am saddened by the deaths that occurred in July–August last year. But Sheikh Hasina or any political leader never ordered the killing of any protester. Sheikh Hasina was never given the chance to defend Sheikh Hasina in court. Sheikh Hasina was not even allowed to choose a lawyer of Sheikh Hasina’s own preference. This tribunal is biased.” Sheikh Hasina claimed that senior lawyers or judges who had ever publicly supported the previous government were either removed one by one or silenced. Selectively, only members of the Awami League were targeted.

The daughter of Mujib stated that the verdict to convict Sheikh Hasina had been predetermined. Sheikh Hasina said, “The interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus has united against the Awami League, using the judiciary as a weapon to cover up their own failures. No truly professional lawyer in the world would support this verdict from Bangladesh’s tribunal.” According to Sheikh Hasina, under Yunus’s rule, Bangladesh has become a more “chaotic, violent, and socially regressive” state, where attacks on women and minorities are frequent and dissent is suppressed. The economy has collapsed as well. Yet Yunus intentionally delayed elections to remain in power. Yunus banned the Awami League. Sheikh Hasina wrote, “Sheikh Hasina is not afraid to face a legal tribunal with proper evidence and due process. But Sheikh Hasina knows the interim government will not accept this challenge. Because they know that if the case goes to the International Criminal Court, Sheikh Hasina will be acquitted.”

The government of Sheikh Hasina fell in August last year. Sheikh Hasina left the country. Afterward, the International Crimes Tribunal was reconstituted. The first case against Sheikh Hasina began in the same tribunal originally established during the government of Sheikh Hasina. So far, a total of 586 cases have been filed against Sheikh Hasina in various courts and police stations in Bangladesh. After 397 days of trial, the verdict in this case was announced on Monday. The court sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death. Regarding the verdict, Bangladesh Awami League Presidium member Jahangir Kabir Nanak said, “This court is illegal. The people of Bangladesh are rejecting this verdict. Tomorrow there will be a dawn-to-dusk shutdown across Bangladesh. Our struggle will intensify until the illegal Yunus government resigns. One day Sheikh Hasina will return as a hero, as the leader loved by the people of Bengal. Our victory is inevitable.”