Tribunal established by Sheikh Hasina bans former PM's speeches in Bangladesh

Terming it as a "hate speech", a domestic war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh on Thursday ordered that the recent remarks made by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should be removed from all social media platforms in the country with immediate effect.

Earlier this week, while addressing an Awami League event in New York virtually, Hasina had slammed the interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus for allegedly targeting Hindu temples, including ISKCON sites, and other religious places of the minorities in Bangladesh.

"Today, I have been accused of mass killings. In reality, it is Muhammad Yunus who is responsible for mass killings through a deliberate plan along with his student coordinators. They are the masterminds," she had asserted during her speech that went viral on social media.

On Thursday, local media quoted International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT-BD) prosecutor Golam Monawar Hossain Tamim as saying that the speeches and phone conversations of Hasina that have been leaked on social and electronic media could hinder the investigation process initiated against her by the interim government.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza, directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove all current and previous instances of such speeches from Hasina from all platforms.

"We will ensure that the tribunal's order is communicated in writing to the relevant authorities of international platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube," said Prosecutor Abdullah Al Noman who had moved a petition seeking a ban on former Bangladesh PM's speeches.

Ironically, the tribunal was established by the government led by Sheikh Hasina under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act to provide for the detection, prosecution and punishment of persons responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under International Law committed by the Pakistani Army, with the help of their local collaborators, in the territory of Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War.

Last week, after the Bangladeshi authorities arrested and jailed Chinmoy Krishna Das, a spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilit Sanatan Jagran Jote who is also associated with Iskcon Bangladesh, Hasina had strongly condemned the "tortures" inflicted on common people by the interim government in Bangladesh and called for "immediate release" of the Hindu priest.

"A top leader of the Sanatan religious community has been unjustly arrested, he must be released immediately," said Hasina.

The Bangladesh Awami League (AL) president and daughter of the 'Father of the Nation' Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had also highlighted several incidents of persecution of members of minority communities that have been reported from across 52 districts in Bangladesh since her resignation on August 5, this year.

"A temple has been burnt in Chittagong. Previously, mosques, shrines, churches, monasteries and houses of the Ahmadiyya community were attacked, vandalized and looted and set on fire. Religious freedom and security of life and property of people of all communities should be ensured," she stated.

"After the killing of innumerable Awami League leaders and workers, students and members of the law and order forces, harassment is going on through assaults and arrests. I strongly condemn and protest against these anarchist activities," Hasina added.