National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam on Wednesday said ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has no legal avenue left to appeal her death sentence in a case filed for committing crimes against humanity during the July 2024 mass uprising, and the verdict must now be implemented.
He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion titled “Smritigathay Julai Biplober Dinguli” (Memories of the Days of the July Revolution), organised by Jatiya Chhatra Shakti's Dhaka University unit at the Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium to mark the 2nd anniversary of the July uprising.
Referring to a recent interview in which Hasina said she would return to Bangladesh and surrender in December, Nahid, also opposition chief whip, said, “Whether Sheikh Hasina comes in December or any other time is something the Bangladesh government must determine. But the moment she arrives, she must be arrested from the airport and her verdict must be executed.”
He noted that the government has already made it clear that there is no scope for Hasina to surrender on her own, though he accused Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed of leaving a deliberate ambiguity, a "trap", by suggesting the question of appeal would be left to the legal process.
“There is no scope for appeal. The verdict against Sheikh Hasina allowed 30 days for appeal, and no one filed one on her behalf within that period. So, there is no scope for any appeal in her case now,” the NCP leader said, adding that his party wants visible progress on the trial from the government.
Turning to campus issues, he called for resolving DU’s electricity crisis, waterlogging problems, and student welfare concerns, while urging a democratic environment on campus.
Nahid also questioned the process for appointing the university's vice chancellor, saying DU and other autonomous universities need a transparent and participatory selection process for VCs and teachers to build research-based, democratic institutions.
On the events of July 15, he demanded that a list of those involved in attacks that day in 2024 be published and that action be taken against them, along with any teachers accused of endorsing or legitimising the violence.
As part of the 2nd anniversary observance, Jatiya Chhatra Shakti's DU unit also organised a drawing competition for children, with prizes distributed to the winners after the discussion.