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Sheikh Hasina First Public Address From Exile in Delhi — AI-generated representative image. Sheikh Hasina delivers her first public address via video link from exile in Delhi, speaking to gathered media about the poli

Editorial Team

Ousted Bangladesh PM demands Awami League ban be lifted, alleges political persecution under Muhammad Yunus government

Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina delivered her first public media address on Wednesday since fleeing Dhaka following the violent uprising that ended her tenure. Speaking virtually to gathered media in Delhi, Hasina declared she was "forced away from my country, but I was never separated from my people."

The address comes nearly two years after she was driven from power in August 2024, when crowds stormed her official residence following deadly clashes that claimed nearly 100 lives. Hasina has remained in India since escaping by military helicopter.

Hasina's reappearance in the public sphere carries significant weight for Bangladesh's political landscape. Her Awami League remains banned, and the former prime minister faces a death sentence handed down in absentia. Her allegations of mass political persecution, foreign interference, and suppressed investigations raise serious questions about the direction of the country since her departure.

Key Demands and Allegations

During her address, Hasina issued a series of demands to the current administration. She called for the ban on the Awami League to be lifted, the release of political prisoners, the dismissal of what she described as false cases, restoration of freedom of speech, and guarantees of judicial independence.

The former prime minister rejected the characterization of the uprising as a peaceful student movement. She stated that organized groups had used the quota reform protests as cover for violence and that the movement was deliberately transformed into a single demand for her resignation. Hasina maintained that her government had attempted to resolve the situation through dialogue, legal processes, and patience.

Background of the 2024 Uprising

The unrest began in June 2024 as student-led demonstrations against job quotas. By mid-July, the protests had intensified significantly. The situation reached a breaking point on August 4, when nearly 100 people were killed in clashes. The following day, crowds stormed Hasina's official residence in Dhaka, forcing her to flee to India aboard a military helicopter.

An interim government led by Muhammad Yunus assumed power following her departure. That administration was subsequently replaced on February 17 of this year by the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, representing the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Hasina is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's first president, who was assassinated along with most of her family in a 1975 military coup at their Dhaka residence.

Claims of Foreign Interference and Political Persecution

Hasina alleged that at least 10,000 people have been killed or disappeared over the past two years. She claimed that more than 600 cases have been filed against her personally and that women party workers from the Awami League were tortured while in custody. She described the post-August violence as a campaign of political persecution in which party leaders and workers were killed, arrested, and driven from their homes.

Addressing police actions during the uprising, Hasina argued that law enforcement agencies had come under "organized attack" and that the state has a duty to protect life, property, and public institutions. She noted that she had established a judicial inquiry commission to investigate every casualty and incident, but alleged the interim government under Yunus halted that investigation. "They did not want an investigation. They wanted the evidence buried," she said.

What Lies Ahead

Hasina remains in India, where she has been since August 2024. She stated last month in a telephone interview that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, despite facing a death sentence handed down in absentia. "Bangladesh remains in the grip of fear, terror, aggression, economic hardship and deep insecurity," she said. "No one who stands for the spirit of the liberation war is safe."

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