The son of toppled Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned {that a} particular tribunal will possible sentence her to dying, however that she stays secure in her Indian exile, as he threatened her supporters will block subsequent yr’s election except a ban on her occasion is lifted.
Sajeeb Wazed made the feedback to the Reuters information company on Sunday, a day earlier than the Dhaka court docket was because of ship a televised verdict towards Hasina on costs of crimes towards humanity for finishing up a deadly crackdown on protesters in 2024.
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The threats are more likely to additional stoke tensions in Bangladesh, the place a wave of bombings and arson assaults has gripped the capital forward of the ruling and February’s deliberate election.
“We all know precisely what the decision goes to be. They’re televising it. They’re going to convict her, and so they’ll in all probability sentence her to dying,” mentioned Wazed, in america capital, Washington, DC.
“What can they do to my mom? My mom is secure in India. India is giving her full safety.”
Hasina, 78, has lived in exile in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024, when the student-led protests compelled an finish to her 15 years in power.
A United Nations report estimated that as much as 1,400 folks had been killed in the course of the demonstrations that yr, most by safety forces firing reside ammunition.
The previous chief faces trial at Bangladesh’s Worldwide Crimes Tribunal over the lethal crackdown. She denies wrongdoing and calls the proceedings politically motivated.
‘We won’t permit elections’
Wazed advised Reuters that supporters of the Awami League – the nominally centre-left, secular occasion that has dominated Bangladeshi politics since independence – would stop elections from going forward if the occasion stays banned.
“We won’t permit elections with out the Awami League to go forward,” he mentioned. “Our protests are going to get stronger and stronger, and we’ll do no matter it takes.”
He added that “except the worldwide neighborhood does one thing, ultimately there’s in all probability going to be violence in Bangladesh earlier than these elections”.
The interim authorities, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, suspended the occasion’s registration in Could and banned its political actions, citing nationwide safety threats and battle crimes investigations into senior leaders.
A authorities spokesperson rejected Wazed’s warnings.
“The interim authorities regards any incitement to violence – particularly by exiled political figures – as deeply irresponsible and reprehensible,” the spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying.
In an earlier interview with The Related Press information company, Wazed mentioned the “ban needs to be lifted, the elections should be inclusive and free and truthful. What is going on now actually is an try to hold my mom and our political leaders from operating in elections”.
Escalating violence
Violence has intensified in Dhaka in current days.
On Sunday, crude bombs exploded throughout the town, following 32 blasts reported on November 12 alone. Dozens of buses have been torched, and authorities have detained Awami League activists over alleged sabotage.
Faculties within the capital Dhaka and different main cities went on-line final week.
Bangladesh has deployed greater than 400 border guards to bolster safety, strengthened checkpoints and restricted public gatherings.
Hasina stays “a lightning rod in Bangladeshi politics”, Michael Kugelman, a South Asia analyst, advised Al Jazeera.
“She will be able to ship an internet speech in India and set off a violent response, as occurred earlier this yr,” he mentioned.
“With Sheikh Hasina’s son threatening to dam the election, it makes nearly overt the occasion’s intention to make use of violence within the context of the upcoming election,” Kugelman added.
The violence happens towards a backdrop of broader considerations concerning the Yunus authorities’s report.
A report by Bangladeshi rights group Odhikar documented not less than 40 extrajudicial killings between August 2024 and September 2025, regardless of guarantees to finish state violence.
The identical safety forces accused of abuses below Hasina – together with the paramilitary Speedy Motion Battalion – stay operational.
Yunus has pledged to carry elections in February 2026, with a referendum on constitutional reforms on the identical day.
