Shortly after a court decision allowed a murder investigation against her connected to last month’s turmoil to move forward, ousted Bangladeshi premier Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday invited supporters to stage a public demonstration of strength later this week.
After protesters swarmed Dhaka’s streets last week, Hasina, 76, escaped by chopper to neighboring India, where she is now living, bringing an abrupt end to her harsh 15-year tenure.
In the weeks of turmoil that preceded her overthrow, over 450 people lost their lives, and members of her Awami League party have since fled the country.
Her government had announced Thursday to be a national holiday. It is the anniversary of her father, independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, being assassinated during a military coup in 1975.
“Through her son who is in the US, I am appealing to you to observe the National Day of Mourning on August 15 with appropriate respect and solemnity,” she said in a written statement provided to media.
At her childhood home in the capital city of Dhaka, she asked followers to “pray for the salvation of all souls by offering floral garlands and praying.”
A mob set fire to and vandalized the monument, which had served as her father’s museum until recently, just hours after she fell.
Bangladesh’s current interim government announced earlier in the evening that it would not be celebrating the divisive holiday.
Hasina made her first public remarks since her resignation on Tuesday.
In addition, she called for the “identification and punishment” of those responsible for killings and other crimes committed during the upheaval that compelled her to resign from office.
Police and medical records previously acquired by AFP indicate that the majority of casualties during the protests were caused by police firearms.
“Go on as usual.”
Hours after a Dhaka court launched a murder probe on her, two prominent Awami League members, and four senior police officers, Hasina made her call.
The prosecution holds the seven people accountable for the July 19 shooting death of a grocery shop owner who was shot dead by police while they forcibly put down protests.
The 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim administration, gave indications that it will not obstruct the probe.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the environment minister, informed reporters, “We all know that the prime accused of the case… is not in the country.”
She went on, “The case will proceed normally.” “Justice in Bangladesh moves fairly slowly, but we can make sure the investigation doesn’t stall out.”
Aside from the murder investigation, Hasan also verified the incarceration of two prominent members of Hasina’s administration.
She stated that Salman Rahman, a business advisor, and Anisul Huq, a former law minister, “have been arrested,” without providing any other information.
According to accounts in the local media, the two had tried in vain to escape Dhaka by boat.
“We are not disputing this.”
Numerous human rights violations, including the summary execution of thousands of Hasina’s political rivals, were said to have occurred throughout her administration.
Three days after Hasina’s overthrow, Yunus returned from Europe to lead a provisional government tasked with enacting democratic reforms.
The 84-year-old is recognized for having lifted millions of Bangladeshis out of abject poverty and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his groundbreaking work in microfinance.
With the exception of home minister Sakhawat Hossain, a retired brigadier general, he joined a caretaker administration as “chief adviser” and declared his intention to call elections “within a few months.”
Sakhawat declared on Monday that the Awami League, led by Hasina and essential to the nation’s independence effort, will not be outlawed by the government.
He told reporters, “The party has made many contributions to Bangladesh — we don’t deny this.”
“They ought to run for office when the time comes.”
“Temporary crisis”
Bangladesh’s new administration has made it clear that it wishes to take a different course.
At a late-night meeting for over sixty foreign diplomats, the country’s foreign affairs advisor, Touhid Hossain, declared that it took human rights “very seriously” and promised to “allow no violence or damages to occur.”
He declared, “Everyone committing such crimes will be investigated.”
Bangladesh’s vital garment sector, which generates about 85% of its $55 billion in yearly exports, has also been shook by the violence and political upheaval, but he gave diplomats assurances that foreign investments would be safeguarded.
“This is a transient crisis,” Touhid continued. “Because capable individuals are in charge, everything will work out in the end.”
