In a rather astonishing and sensitive political move, an anti-terrorism Bangladeshi court has recently opened a genocide case against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The scandal which has created a stir in the country and the world over brings to the fore the issues relating to political system in Bangladesh, the nature of allegations and its implications for leadership in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina, who has been in the prime ministership for over one and a half decade, is one of the strongest politicos of Bangladesh and this investigation is all set to challenge her authority and the Bangladeshi judiciary.
There are several events that have led to the allegations of genocide: The 2013 events to do with crackdown on demonstrators and political dissidents, and other actions against minorities. Opponents of Hasina’s government have developed a narrative that describes her regime as authoritarian and accused it of human rights abuses such as extra-judicial killings, forced disappearance and suppression of political dissent. The genocide probe tries to find out whether these actions are constitutive of mass atrocity, a claim that may bring political consequences on Hasina’s reign and the Bangladeshi state’s potential trajectory.
Many successes have been attributed to the incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League party, they include; economic progress, constructions projects, and international diplomacy. Her critics opine that such successes have been at the expense of democracy and human rights of the people of Russia. In recent years opposition parties and media have often criticised Hasina’s government of suppressing opposition, controlling the judiciary to deal with its political rivals, and suppressing media freedom. The current genocide probe is viewed by some of them as the climax of increasing frustration with her government’s increased authoritarianism.
Horrific treatment of opposition protests in 2013 is one of the primary cases examined by this investigation. Labour protests led by the Jamaat-e-Islami and competitors of the Pakistan Peoples Party were dramatically suppressed by the government through often lethal force and accusations of abuses of peoples’ rights. The government supported its actions with claims of the protesters as being subversive elements wishing to bring the country to its knees, but opponents claimed that it was nailing the opposition.
Besides political suppression, there were allegations of nepotism of Sheikh Hasina’s government against the ethnic and religious minorities in Bangladesh. The recent one is the Rohingya refugee crisis in which Rohingya Muslims escaped from persecution in Myanmar and crossed the border into Bangladesh for shelter which has marked internationally. Although Hasina was hailed for hosting refugees in Bangladesh, everyone accuses her government of not protecting the Rohingya well enough and of abusing them. Civil societies have raised alarm with regard to the status of refugees and the authorities’ unwillingness to provide long-term solutions for the refugees.
It also covers allegations of the genocide perpetrators’ targeted action against the Hindu and other minority populations in Bangladesh, especially in the countryside. Some cases of attack on Hindu temple, forced eviction of minorities, aggression on non-Muslim citizens have been reported in the course of the years putting together a narrative of increased persecution of minorities under Hasina’s regime. The court investigation aims to know whether or not such acts can be qualified as genocide and if the government is negligent in not shielding its people.
The reactions that have followed the launching of the probe have been received from the international public and have been mixed in nature. While human rights organization and activists have reacted positively to the investigation they have also meet with caution since this seems to be the first step towards restoring justice in Bangladesh.
All these years they have been demanding more attention to dictatorship tactics by Hasina’s government and its repression. However, some political analyst are questioning the real reason behind the probe. Bangladeshi judiciary has often been accused of nepotism in relation with the ruling government, and there are doubts whether the investigation is an act of future political manoeuvring or an attempt to pre-emptively absolve Hasina before the next elections.
The allegations have been denied by Sheikh Hasina and her partners in government as politically motivated mischief meant for the constant destabilisation of her administration in the backdrop of coming general elections. They say the government has always acted to preserve national security and order in a country that for many years has been experiencing various turbulences – from extremism to political instability and outside aggression. While Hasina’s supporters believe that she is a powerful leader who helped Bangladesh to achieve economic growth and welfare, the opponents are accused of nourishing false cases only to undermine Hasina’s authority.
The political interests are equally high in this case investigation both on the part of Hasina as well as Bangladesh’a as a Nation. The outcome of the genocide probe has the potential of politically neutralising Hasina by a finding of guilt against her image and policies and dropping calls for her resignation.
It may also pave way for International pressures or actions that are embarrassing for Bangladesh like sanctions and foreign interferences. On the other hand, if the probe is perceived as partisan or as a request for a ritualistic excuse for Hasina, then this may trigger protests and violence within Bangladesh predominantly from the opposition which has been sidelined by Hasina’s administration.
The investigation also takes place at a time when Bangladeshi democracy is under more pressure than before in the past years. Political rivals of Hasina’s government have been able to claim that her government has been engaged in ballot stuffing, electoral manipulation, stifling of opposition and electoral malpractice. Anyway, the genocide investigation will intensify the political polarization in the nation, and how it will be conducted will become a focus of national and international concern.
All in all, the genocide probe against Sheikh Hasina is a new serious event that can change the political situation in Bangladesh dramatically. The allegations of state violence, political oppression and abuse of minorities pose a real threat to Hasina’s government and may produce a worrisome impact on the nation’s development. As the developing news international community will be following the case closely in order to determine whether justice will be brought or this becomes the latest chapter of the strife and instability that underlines the political reality of Bangladesh.
