Sheikh Hasina reveals why she fled Bangladesh; calls August protests an 'insurrection'

Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she fled the state connected August 5 past twelvemonth “out of necessity". She claimed that remaining successful Bangladesh, which was battling wide protests against Hasina, would person endangered her beingness and the "safety of those astir her".“Staying would not lone person enactment my beingness successful danger, but besides the lives of those astir me," she said, speaking successful an exclusive interrogation with The Independent.

Despite fleeing the state and the Awami League being banned successful Bangladesh, she maintains that she is inactive committed to “restoring democracy” successful the country.

‘Violent insurrection’

Hasina described the August protests successful Bangladesh arsenic a “violent insurrection.”“As a leader, I yet instrumentality enactment responsibility, but the assertion that I ordered oregon wished for the information forces to unfastened occurrence connected the crowds is simply wrong," she said.She added that she blames the precocious fig of casualties connected “breakdowns successful subject among information forces connected the ground.” Hasina said her authorities had launched an autarkic enquiry into the archetypal killings, which was aboriginal unopen down by the interim medication that replaced her.She said that she would “neither beryllium amazed nor intimidated” if Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced her to death, calling the proceedings “a sham trial” motivated by governmental revenge.

“The ICT is simply a sham tribunal presided implicit by an unelected authorities consisting of my governmental opponents. Many of those opponents volition halt astatine thing to get escaped of me," Hasina said, arsenic cited by The Independent.

'Principal architect': Interim govt targets Hasina

What began past July arsenic a question by assemblage students demanding the removal of occupation quotas for relatives of independency warfare veterans soon grew into a nationwide uprising successful Bangladesh, which yet led to Hasina fleeing the country.Hasina disputed the wide reported decease toll from the student-led protests, saying that “the 1,400 fig is utile to the ICT for propaganda purposes but is astir apt inflated.”Meanwhile, the interim government's main prosecutor, Tajul Islam, has called Hasina the “mastermind and main architect” down the alleged crimes against humanity during the student-led uprising.