ICT bans broadcast of hate speech by Hasina

The International Crimes Tribunal has imposed a ban on broadcasting “hate speech” by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the media and on social networking platforms. 

The tribunal, chaired by Justice Golam Mortuza Majumder, issued the order following a prosecution petition on Thursday. 

The ICT also directed the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to remove all previous instances of such speeches from all platforms.

Earlier in the day, Prosecutor Abdullah Al Noman submitted the petition seeking the ban. 

The prosecution argued that Hasina’s statements constituted hate speech, prompting the application to restrict them.

Earlier, the tribunal issued an arrest warrant for Sheikh Hasina, president of the Awami League, on October 17, the first day of proceedings concerning allegations of mass killings during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in July and August.

Protests in Bangladesh, which began in July as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, escalated into some of the deadliest in the country's history.

On August 5, Hasina fled to India amid a mass uprising and has been there since then.

Later, Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus took office on August 8 as head of the interim government that took charge of the country after Hasina's ouster.