Monday, 17 November, 2025
The son and political adviser of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned on Sunday that supporters of her Awami League could disrupt February’s national election if the party’s ban is not lifted, cautioning that protests could spiral into widespread violence.
Joy’s warning to Reuters comes a day before a Dhaka court is set to deliver a televised verdict likely to convict Hasina, 78, in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Hasina denies any wrongdoing, insisting the case is politically motivated.
A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured — most by gunfire from security forces — during anti-government demonstrations between 15 July and 5 August last year, marking the bloodiest political unrest in Bangladesh since its independence in 1971.
Hasina has lived in exile in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024. Joy said India was providing her full protection and treating her “like a head of state.”
“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,” Joy, who resides in Washington, DC, told Reuters. “What can they do to my mother? She is safe in India. India is giving her full security.”
A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured — most by gunfire from security forces — during anti-government demonstrations between 15 July and 5 August last year, marking the bloodiest political unrest in Bangladesh since its independence in 1971.
Spokespeople for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who has been leading an interim government since Hasina’s 15-year rule ended, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hasina told Reuters in October that she could move freely in Delhi, though she remained cautious due to security concerns. Her parents and three brothers were killed in a 1975 military coup while she and her sister were abroad, a tragic history that continues to shadow her life and political career.
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The son and political adviser of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned on Sunday that supporters of her Awami League could disrupt February’s national election if the party’s ban is not lifted, cautioning that protests could spiral into widespread violence.
Joy’s warning to Reuters comes a day before a Dhaka court is set to deliver a televised verdict likely to convict Hasina, 78, in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Hasina denies any wrongdoing, insisting the case is politically motivated.
A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured — most by gunfire from security forces — during anti-government demonstrations between 15 July and 5 August last year, marking the bloodiest political unrest in Bangladesh since its independence in 1971.
Hasina has lived in exile in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024. Joy said India was providing her full protection and treating her “like a head of state.”
“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,” Joy, who resides in Washington, DC, told Reuters. “What can they do to my mother? She is safe in India. India is giving her full security.”
A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured — most by gunfire from security forces — during anti-government demonstrations between 15 July and 5 August last year, marking the bloodiest political unrest in Bangladesh since its independence in 1971.
Spokespeople for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who has been leading an interim government since Hasina’s 15-year rule ended, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hasina told Reuters in October that she could move freely in Delhi, though she remained cautious due to security concerns. Her parents and three brothers were killed in a 1975 military coup while she and her sister were abroad, a tragic history that continues to shadow her life and political career.
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