Ahead of court verdict, Hasina’s son warns of election obstruction if party ban stays – Firstpost

beautiful wedgedThe son and advisor of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave this warning on Sunday. Awami League supporters would disrupt February’s national elections if the ban on the party was not lifted, he warned, warning that such unrest could turn violent.

wedged The comments to Reuters came a day before a Dhaka court delivered a televised verdict convicting 78-year-old Hasina in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity related to a deadly crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Hasina rejected the allegations, insisting that the case was politically motivated.

A UN report estimated that at least 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured. The shootings, mostly by security forces, broke out during anti-government protests between July 15 and August 5 last year, marking the worst political bloodshed in Bangladesh since the 1971 independence war.

Bangladesh, with a population of more than 170 million, is a major global apparel exporter that supplies major international brands and last year’s turmoil has severely hit the sector.

‘They’ll probably give him the death penalty’

Hasina has been living in exile in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024. Wajed said India was providing him full security and treating him “like a head of state”.

“We know exactly what the verdict is going to be. They’re going to televise it. They’re going to find him guilty, and they’re probably going to give him the death penalty,” said Wajed, who lives in Washington, DC. “What can they do with my mother? My mother is safe in India. India is giving her full security.”

A spokesman for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is leading the interim government since Hasina ended 15 years in power, did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Sunday.

Hasina told Reuters in October that she could move freely in Delhi, although she remained cautious due to security concerns. His parents and three brothers were killed in a 1975 military coup while he and his sister were abroad.

He said the guilty verdict by Bangladesh’s domestic war crimes court, the International Criminal Tribunal, was a “foregone conclusion” because “the proceedings were a politically motivated drama”.

Wajed, known by his nickname Joy in Bangladesh, said he would not appeal until a democratically elected government takes charge with the participation of the Awami League.

The party’s registration was suspended in May when the interim government banned its political activities, citing national security threats and war crimes investigations into senior party leaders.

“We will not allow elections to be held without the Awami League,” he said. “Our protest is becoming more intense, and we will do whatever it takes. Unless the international community does something, ultimately there is a possibility of violence in Bangladesh before these elections… There is going to be a confrontation.”

Multiple crude bomb blasts in Dhaka

Political violence has increased in Dhaka ahead of the decision, with several homemade bombs detonated on Sunday and 32 blasts on November 12 alone, as well as dozens of buses being set on fire. Police have detained Awami League workers for alleged sabotage.

Authorities have tightened security, deploying more than 400 border guards, strengthening checkpoints and restricting public gatherings.

Wajed said he and Hasina were in touch with party workers in Bangladesh, but not with the interim government or the rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which is widely expected to lead the next government.

“You’ve been seeing shutdowns, massive protests across the country in the last few days, and they’re getting bigger and bigger,” he said.

Hasina, who is credited with transforming Bangladesh’s economy but accused of rights abuses and crushing dissent, won a fourth consecutive term in 2024 in an election boycotted by the main opposition because many of its leaders were jailed or fled abroad.

Now the tables have turned. “He’s upset, angry, angry,” Wazed said. “And we are committed to fighting by all means necessary.”

with inputs from agencies