Shaykh Hyena, Hitler reincarnate?

In a confession on Saturday 31st of May, 2014, Sheikh Hasina for the first time revealed that both US Secretary of State John Kerry and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had requested her to stop the execution of Abdul Quader Mollah, assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, who was questionably convicted by the domestic International War Crimes tribunal for crimes against humanity in 1971.

However, instead of providing an ounce of logic that could explain her actions, she went full frontal on another explosive rant, a trend that has characterized the classic Sheikh dynastic disdain for anything remotely logical. With a maniacal pompous air that could only emanate from Sheikh Hasina herself, she horrendously declared in front of hundreds of newsmen,

“Who in Bangladesh has the guts to go ahead with the hanging after that?”

“Only Bangabandhu’s daughter (has that).” 

In reply to a question about speeding up the trial of war criminals, “Don’t question me. I will do what I have to do,” 

An insightful response to this rant by eminent defence lawyer for Abdul Quader Mollah, Mr. Toby Cadman (on his facebook page) was, "Interesting comments from a Head of State that claims to exert no control over the Judiciary." 

( For reference, it will be wise to revisit earlier articles on Abdul Quader Mollah, namely the infamous charge on which he was sentenced, some questions and aspects regarding his trial and a detailed follow up of his case written on the Asia Times regarding the case)

   

In any other civilized nation, such comments would have been looked upon with utter horror. In Bangladesh, hardly a few cared, having become used to the audacity and callousness of the comments of the PM, not forgetting to mentions her actions, namely the sham elections on the 5th of January (a nice cartoon by cartoonist Mehedi Haque below)

Juxtapose her comments in line with the current situation residing within the country, where a recent report by manabzamin says that in the last month alone, i.e. in May, a human rights organization reported about 44 abductions and 33 reported missing. Or take for example the flow of events since the seven murders at Narayangonj. The phrase, “Don’t question me. I will do what I have to do,” when combined with the inaction regarding improving the law and security condition in the country and the lack of meaningful steps regarding incarceration of accused security men and people in the administration of which Hasina is head raises many questions, the most simple of which is that whether all this is what she really wants.

The impunity that murderers, violators of human rights and corrupt bigwigs have enjoyed under Sheikh Hasina surpasses anything that Bangladesh has witnessed before. Maybe that is why she is being rightfully taken to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity committed under her regime. From witness accounts to the testimony of relatives, to photographic evidence and video footage there is detailed and deeply disturbing evidence of the systematic repression, torture, murder and forced disappearance of those who support opposition parties and whose views differ from that of the current Regime.

 

Her complete disregard of the concerns raised by the world regarding the flawed trial of Abdul Quader Mollah showcases a fascist mentality that is in the grip of knowledge that it is above law. As cartoonist Mehedi Haque depicts with another toon below, the signs are increasingly apparent that to her, democracy, the rule of the law, and fascism mean the same thing.