PR Power, Pricey Protection: Press Secretary's Allegations Against Sheikh Hasina's “email interviews"
Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, has claimed that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina possesses vast amounts of money, which she allegedly uses to fund global publicity campaigns and hire expensive legal teams. He asserted that public relations agencies have arranged successive interviews for her, which are being strategically presented as “email interviews.”
In a status update posted on his verified Facebook account on Tuesday, November 11, Alam wrote these comments.
Alam drew a historical comparison, writing, “After carrying out genocide against her own people, Idi Amin fled to Saudi Arabia in 1979. He lived a secluded life there until his death in 2003. While in exile, he gave no interviews and rarely left his home. He was essentially a powerless, impoverished former dictator. Even Western media had little interest in interviewing such a powerless and cashless killer.”
He further accused Sheikh Hasina, stating, “Blood is on Hasina’s hands too. She has ordered the killing of thousands of people, caused around 4,000 disappearances, and oversaw bank looting through her close associates. Like Amin, she eventually had to leave the country. Her destination was New Delhi. But unlike Amin, she did not remain silent in exile.”
Alam continued, “Where is the difference? Money. Hasina has enormous funds, which she uses to conduct global PR campaigns and hire high-priced lawyers. Her team has retained one of the world’s most expensive law firms. PR agencies have lined up successive interviews for her, cleverly presented as ‘email interviews.’”
He added, “Western journalists, even India’s sycophantic media, cannot be certain whether Hasina herself is providing these responses or if her PR team is drafting them. Yet, they still publish these so-called ‘email interviews’ because the entire spectacle costs millions of dollars, ensuring Hasina’s narrative endures.”
Alam drew parallels with other global figures, writing, “This is nothing new. Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn avoided jail after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a New York hotel because he spent millions on one of the world’s top law firms. PR agencies and lawyers craft a fake image of ‘innocence’ for dictators and corrupt individuals, masking brutal realities behind legal language and flashy statements. Even Chilean dictator Pinochet received legal protection in Europe, though ultimately he could not evade justice.”
He concluded, “In the coming weeks, more ‘email interviews’ of Hasina will appear in Western media and through trusted Indian channels. None of these deserve attention because what you read is neither truth nor remorse. It is the product of a multimillion-dollar PR campaign designed solely to present a mass murderer in a humane light.”
DBTech/EC/OR
