Dhaka, Dec. 1 -- Columnist and thinker Farhad Mazhar believes the trial of Sheikh Hasina was essential, yet holding it in the International Crimes Tribunal, which was forged by the deposed prime minister herself, was "not the right decision".

He argued that a newly constituted tribunal would have earned international credibility, whereas the current process risked prompting doubts and accusations of retribution.

Speaking on bdnews24.com's flagship discussion programme Inside Out on Sunday, he set out his concerns shortly after the tribunal delivered its ruling on Nov 17 in the July Uprising cases involving crimes against humanity.

Hasina, alongside her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, was sentenced to death, while former police in...