DHAKA: A Bangladeshi tribunal banned broadcasts of “hate speech” by autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina on Thursday, weeks after indicting her over the killing of protesters during the August revolution that ousted her.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is investigating Hasina for “mass murder”, among other charges, during the weeks of unrest that forced her to overthrow her long-standing regime.

“Sheikh Hasina is accused in several cases currently under investigation by the tribunal,” prosecutor Golam Monawar Hossain Tamim told reporters. “We sought a ban on disseminating her hate speech as it could hinder legal proceedings or intimidate witnesses and victims,” he said, confirming the ICT had agreed to enact the ban.

“If her speeches continue to circulate, it will become difficult to bring witnesses to the tribunal.” It was not immediately clear what authority would determine which speeches by Hasina qualified as hateful or how the order would be enforced.

Interim leader vows to push for former PM’s extradition from India

The decision came days after Hasina addressed a gathering of supporters in New York by videolink, accusing Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus of “mass murder”.

Hundreds of people were killed in the weeks prior to Hasina’s ouster, most by police fire. Scores more died in the hours after her toppling, largely in reprisal killings against prominent supporters of her Awami League party.

The ICT was set up by Hasina in 2010. Over the following years it sentenced numerous prominent political opponents to death.

The court was regularly criticised by rights groups for not meeting proper trial standards and became widely seen as a means for Hasina to eliminate her rivals. The interim government led by Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, has vowed to push for Hasina’s extradition from India to be tried by the tribunal.

Ban on the Indian broadcast

Earlier this week, a writ petition was filed in the Bangladesh High Court seeking a ban on the broadcast of Indian TV channels in the country citing growing concerns over the impact of Indian media on Bangladeshi culture and society, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Lawyer Ekhlas Uddin Bhuiyan, who filed the petition, was seeking a directive under the Cable Television Network Operation Act 2006 to prohibit the broadcast of Indian TV channels.

The petition alleged that provocative news is being aired on Indian channels and that unregulated broadcasts of content opposing Bangladeshi culture are leading to the destruction of the youth. Further, it proposed that these channels operate without adhering to any regulations.

Hasina, 76, fled to India by helicopter as protesters marched on her palace in a dramatic end to her iron-fisted rule of 15 years.

In September, interim leader Muhammad Yunus told Indian media that Bangladesh’s ousted premier Sheikh Hasina should “keep quiet” while exiled in India until she is brought home for trial.

Hasina has remained in India, her former government’s biggest patron and benefactor, since her Aug 5 overthrow, inflaming tensions between the two South Asian neighbours.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2024

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