July killings: Hasina in latest interview says mistakes were made by some security forces members, but shows no remorse
In an interview with Indian newspaper The Hindu, Sheikh Hasina defended 'decisions made by senior government officials' as 'proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimize the loss of life.'
Highlights:
- Sheikh Hasina tells The Hindu 'mistakes' were made by 'some members' of security forces during July Uprising
- Defends 'decisions made by senior government officials' as 'proportionate in nature, made in good faith'
- Criticises interim govt, says she is 'not confident' that polls will take place in February as scheduled
After she showed no remorse in an earlier interview for the killings of more than 1,400 people by the police and security forces during the July uprising, Sheikh Hasina in a latest interview has now blamed "mistakes" by "some members" of the security forces for the ruthless actions.
In an interview with The Hindu, an Indian newspaper, published on 7 November Hasina however defended "decisions made by senior government officials" as "proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life".
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During the July uprising that culminated in the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India, the security forces had ruthlessly used lethal weapons and audio calls verified by fact checkers have surfaced in which Hasina was heard ordering the use of lethal forces to quell the unprecedented protest of students and the public at large.
In the interview, she did not mention for once her actions against the movement or show any remorse as before for the deaths of the protesters.
"Our security personnel on the ground were responding to fast-changing and violent circumstances. Mistakes were certainly made in the way some members of the security forces responded to the violence, but the decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life," said Hasina in her response to a question.
She contradicted her earlier call to her party supporters to boycott the upcoming national elections, saying she has not called upon her supporters to boycott the election and cautioned against "yet more violent uprising".
"Let me be clear: I have not called for a boycott. The point I was making was that millions of Awami League voters will not vote at all if they are denied the chance to support their preferred choice," Hasina told The Hindu, explaining, "Whatever happens our campaign will be peaceful. The last thing Bangladesh needs is yet more violent upheaval."
Hasina criticised the interim government of Bangladesh for failing to respond to both domestic and international calls for an election over the last 15 months, saying she is "not confident" that the polls will take place in February as scheduled.
She told The Hindu that even if the election is held, it will not be "legitimate" because her party remains banned from participating.
Furthermore, Hasina remarked that the ban on the Awami League "is damaging for all parties" and reiterated the party's commitment to campaigning for an inclusive election in a "peaceful" manner.
