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In her first media interaction since her dramatic fall from power after 15 years of dominating Bangladesh’s political landscape, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told foreign media that the ban on the Awami League is not only unjust but also self-defeating.
After the party was barred from contesting elections, millions of Awami League supporters are expected to boycott next year’s polls, she said from exile in New Delhi.
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Hasina added that she has no plans to return to Bangladesh if the government does not allow the Awami League to participate in politics. She said she would remain in India, where she fled in August 2023 following a student-led uprising.
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An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has been governing Bangladesh since Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power. The Yunus government has promised to hold national elections in February.
“The people must elect the next government,” Hasina said during a media interaction. “Millions support the Awami League. If they are not allowed to vote, the system cannot truly work.”
The Election Commission suspended the Awami League’s registration in May. Earlier, the Yunus-led government banned all political party activities, citing national security reasons and ongoing war crimes probes against senior Awami League leaders.
“We’re not asking our supporters to back other parties,” Hasina said. “We just hope common sense will prevail and we’ll be allowed to contest the election.”
Hasina, lauded for boosting Bangladesh’s economy, has also been accused of human rights abuses and stifling dissent. She won a fourth straight term in 2024, in an election boycotted by the main opposition, whose top members were jailed or forced into exile.
Now, the International Crimes Tribunal has finished its trial against Hasina, accusing her of crimes against humanity for the violent crackdown on student protests in mid-2024.
According to a UN report, up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured, mostly from police gunfire, during protests between July 15 and August 5, 2024—the worst violence since Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence.
The parties who suffered harm also say Hasina allowed enforced disappearances and torture of opposition activists in secret detention centres run by security agencies. A verdict is expected on November 13.
Hasina has denied all charges, saying she was not involved in the violence.
“These trials are politically motivated,” she said. “The verdicts are pre-decided. I wasn’t given proper notice or a fair chance to defend myself.”
Despite the crisis, Hasina said the Awami League will return to Bangladesh’s political scene, in government or opposition, but her family doesn’t have to lead it.
Her son Sajeeb Wazed, based in Washington, told the media last year he might consider leading the party if asked.
“It’s not about me or my family,” Hasina said. “Bangladesh needs stability and a return to constitutional rule. No one family should define the country’s future.”
Hasina, whose father and three brothers were killed in a 1975 military coup, said she lives freely in Delhi but remains cautious due to her family’s past.
“I’d love to go home,” Hasina said, “but only when there’s a legitimate government, respect for the constitution, and real law and order.”
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