While Hasina and her supporters claim the court case is a scam, there is no reason to question the credibility of the process, said South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman.
“This is not a case of rushing to justice, so to speak. This has been something that’s been in play for for many months,” he told CNA’s Asia First programme on Monday, ahead of the verdict.
Kugelman added there is a “very good chance” that the ruling will go against Hasina, with speculation abound that she will be sentenced to death.
This will not have much of a direct impact on her given that she is in exile, but it has become a “very important issue” for Bangladesh politics, he noted.
“There are a lot of political parties and factions that are jockeying for influence and power in advance of the elections,” said Kugelman, referring to Bangladesh’s parliamentary election scheduled for February next year.
“One thing that unites them, even though they’re very divided on many other things, is their support for justice for the hundreds of people – 1,400 according to UN investigations – that were killed in the violent crackdown that was overseen by Hasina and her security forces.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/bangladesh-tense-ahead-hasina-verdict-5470691
