'Don't back away from implementing this justice': Asif Nazrul pleads to next govt regarding Hasina's death sentence

As the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) delivered a historic death sentence to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina for crimes against humanity, the interim government's Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul has urged the next government to uphold and implement the verdict without compromise.

"I hope that whichever government comes next, they do not back away from implementing this justice under any circumstances," he said in his immediate reaction to the verdict today (17 November).

The ICT sentenced Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death. The verdict pertains to crimes against humanity committed during the July Uprising last year that ultimately led to Hasina's ouster in August.

The tribunal found Hasina guilty of inciting violence and ordering the use of lethal force against protesters. Her controversial statements, whether "Rajakars' grandchildren" should get jobs, were cited by the judge as incitement to violence.

She was also found to have ordered the use of helicopters and lethal weapons.

Former inspector general of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, the third accused, received a five-year prison sentence, having been pardoned from the death penalty after becoming a state witness and providing a "full disclosure" of his knowledge regarding the crimes.