The son of toppled Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned that a special tribunal will likely sentence her to death, but that she remains safe in her Indian exile, as he threatened her supporters will block next year’s election unless a ban on her party is lifted.
Sajeeb Wazed made the comments to the Reuters news agency on Sunday, a day before the Dhaka court was due to deliver a televised verdict against Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity for carrying out a deadly crackdown on protesters in 2024. The threats are likely to further stoke tensions in Bangladesh, where a wave of bombings and arson attacks has gripped the capital ahead of the ruling and February’s planned election.
“We know exactly what the verdict is going to be. They’re televising it. They’re going to convict her, and they’ll probably sentence her to death,” said Wazed, in the United States capital, Washington, DC. “What can they do to my mother? My mother is safe in India. India is giving her full security.”
Hasina, 78, has lived in exile in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024, when the student-led protests forced an end to her 15 years in power. A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed during the demonstrations that year, most by security forces firing live ammunition.
The former leader faces trial at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal over the deadly crackdown. She denies wrongdoing and calls the proceedings politically motivated. He added that “unless the international community does something, eventually there’s probably going to be violence in Bangladesh before these elections”.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, suspended the party’s registration in May and banned its political activities, citing national security threats and war crimes investigations into senior leaders.
A government spokesperson rejected Wazed’s warnings.
“The interim government regards any incitement to violence – especially by exiled political figures – as deeply irresponsible and reprehensible,” the spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying.
In an earlier interview with The Associated Press news agency, Wazed said the “ban has to be lifted, the elections have to be inclusive and free and fair. What is happening now really is an attempt to keep my mother and our political leaders from running in elections”.
Source: Here