The choices Bangladesh makes in the coming years will determine the future. Political experience, ideological moderation, and administrative grounding -- all characteristics associated with the centrist tradition -- will be essential components of a successful democratic transition.
From five charges to two: The shifting charges in the Hasina trial
Stop doomscrolling and ignore the online doomsayers. We are on course for a peaceful democratic transition.
If the February 2026 election is to be festive, free and fair, we will need a campaign so that Bangladeshis believe that their votes will count and their voices will be heard.
The UN response to the Hasina verdict affirmed the moral and factual weight of the case, acknowledged the reality of mass state violence, and confined its criticism to a doctrinal anti-death-penalty stance it applies uniformly in every country.
So yes, what Tangia did was wrong, absolutely no doubt. But let's not pretend this outrage is about justice. Justice would mean holding everyone to the same standard. This is about control. And we really need to talk about who we're controlling, and why.
His politics was never abstract; it grew from lived experiences of precarity
Amnesty concerns about cross-examination, defense preparation time, and structural weaknesses merit careful scrutiny. We must not dismiss them. However, they also need to be understood within context.
This verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal is not merely the conclusion of one case; it is the beginning of the journey toward a new Bangladesh -- a Bangladesh that will be founded on justice, human rights, and the rule of law.
The judgment of the Tribunal is therefore not only a sentence against one person; it is a declaration that no one, however powerful, stands above the law of the Republic. The arc of justice has finally bent toward Bangladesh.
If our leaders want to know where this road leads, they do not need to look far. Pakistan chose the path of appeasing extremists. The consequences have been catastrophic.
Bangladesh's goal should be to make our own decisions while skillfully using multiple major powers to serve our national interests. This approach is called intelligent dependence -- we remain dependent in some ways, but we control how that dependence works.
Ending the death penalty and ensuring fair trials would not weaken the pursuit of accountability -- it would strengthen it. In doing so, Bangladesh’s long-awaited reckoning with the past could become the foundation of a more just, rights-respecting, and humane future.
Fully 62% feel positive and hopeful about Bangladesh’s future. This is the hope that gives Bangladesh a second chance. But hope, must be met with policy, leadership, and delivery. When young people stop trusting the system, they change it.
