'B'desh ex-PM fears may not get fair trial'

Dhaka, July 21: Bangladesh's detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fears she may not get a fair trial under the army-backed interim government, her lawyer said today.

Senior lawyer Abdul Matin Khasru, who served as law minister during Hasina's 1996-2001 tenure, was speaking to Reuters a day after meeting her at a house converted into a prison inside parliament.

Hasina, chief of the Awami League, was arrested at her home on Monday and sent to jail to face extortion charges.

''I may not get justice, because they filed the case to expel me from politics and block my candidature in the coming election,'' Khasru quoted Hasina as saying.

Police filed two cases against Hasina in June for extorting 80 million taka ($1.16 million) from two businessmen. Monday's arrest was related to one of those cases.

Lawyers said if convicted, Hasina may have to serve three to five years in jail and won't be eligible for elections.

Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency imposed by the army-backed interim administration, which took over in January and launched a crackdown on politicians ahead of elections planned for late next year.

More than 170 political figures including Tareque Rahman, Khaleda's elder son and presumed political heir, have been detained for graft and abuse of power.

Hasina told her lawyer she had been harassed during her arrest.

''They can't mistreat a leader of a major political party and a former prime minister in such a manner,'' Hasina told Khasru.

She said she had been deprived of minimum amenities such as television and newspapers in prison.

Reuters