Saturday, 24 January, 2026
Sheikh Hasina has delivered her first public address in India since her overthrow, calling Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus a “murderous fascist” and accusing his interim government of plunging the country into “terror and lawlessness”.
The ousted prime minister spoke via an audio message to a packed hall at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi.
The event titled "Save Democracy in Bangladesh" was attended by former ministers from her Awami League government and members of the diaspora, as per NDTV.
Hasina, who was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal over allegations that she ordered the killing of 1,400 people to suppress protests in Bangladesh, is described by her opponents as a “corrupt, fascist, autocrat”.
She is also accused of trying to perpetrate power by manipulating three general elections and overseeing extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and holding political opponents in secret jails.
She accused Yunus of running an “illegal, violent” administration and repeatedly described him as a “usurper”, “money launderer”, and “power-hungry traitor”.
“Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss,” Hasina said at the outset, invoking the Liberation War and the legacy of her father, independence hero Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She said the country had been reduced to “a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death”, with human rights trampled, press freedom extinguished, and violence against women and minorities rampant.
The Awami League chief said her removal from office on Aug 5, 2024 was the result of a “meticulously engineered conspiracy” that had plunged the nation into what she described as an age of fear.
“From that day, democracy has gone into exile,” Hasina said, warning that life and property no longer enjoyed protection as law and order had collapsed nationwide.
She painted a picture of a country gripped by “mob” violence, looting, and extortion, stretching from the capital to rural areas, and blamed extremist groups and foreign interests for what she described as the systematic destruction of the state.
The sharpest criticism was directed at Nobel laureate Yunus personally.
The Grameen Bank founder assumed office on Aug 8, 2024 to lead the interim government, shortly after the July Uprising forced the fall of the Awami League administration.
Hasina accused him of bleeding the country dry and pushing Bangladesh towards a wider regional conflict by allegedly handing over national resources and strategic interests to foreign powers.
“By betraying the nation, the murderous fascist Yunus is pushing our beloved motherland towards disaster,” she said.
Calling the address both a warning and a rallying call, Hasina urged “all democratic, progressive and non-communal forces of the pro-Liberation camp” to unite in restoring the constitution, which she said had been written “in the blood of martyrs”.
She also portrayed the Awami League as the “only legitimate guardian” of Bangladesh’s democratic and pluralist traditions, describing it as the country’s oldest political party and one deeply embedded in its political and cultural foundations.
Hasina outlined five demands she said were essential to restoring stability. The first was the removal of what she called the “illegal Yunus administration” to create conditions for free and fair elections. “Bangladesh will never see a credible election while this clique remains in power,” she said.
Her second demand focused on ending daily violence and restoring public order, arguing that economic recovery and basic civic services depended on stability.
The third called for firm guarantees to protect religious minorities, women, and vulnerable groups from targeted attacks.
Fourth, she demanded an end to what she described as politically motivated legal action against journalists, Awami League leaders, and opposition figures, calling for the judiciary to be restored as an impartial institution.
Her final demand urged the United Nations to conduct “a fresh and impartial investigation” into events over the past year.
“The international community stands with you,” Hasina told supporters, adding that the interim authorities had failed to listen to the will of the people.
Earlier, in an interview with NDTV, Hasina said Bangladesh was sliding towards authoritarian rule and extremist influence.
Speaking from India, she recounted the events surrounding her ouster, the destruction of her family’s historic residence, and what she described as state-backed attacks on minorities and democratic institutions.
She urged Bangladeshis not to lose hope, calling on them to join what she described as a struggle to reclaim democracy and restore constitutional rule.
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Sheikh Hasina has delivered her first public address in India since her overthrow, calling Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus a “murderous fascist” and accusing his interim government of plunging the country into “terror and lawlessness”.
The ousted prime minister spoke via an audio message to a packed hall at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi.
The event titled "Save Democracy in Bangladesh" was attended by former ministers from her Awami League government and members of the diaspora, as per NDTV.
Hasina, who was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal over allegations that she ordered the killing of 1,400 people to suppress protests in Bangladesh, is described by her opponents as a “corrupt, fascist, autocrat”.
She is also accused of trying to perpetrate power by manipulating three general elections and overseeing extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and holding political opponents in secret jails.
She accused Yunus of running an “illegal, violent” administration and repeatedly described him as a “usurper”, “money launderer”, and “power-hungry traitor”.
“Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss,” Hasina said at the outset, invoking the Liberation War and the legacy of her father, independence hero Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
She said the country had been reduced to “a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death”, with human rights trampled, press freedom extinguished, and violence against women and minorities rampant.
The Awami League chief said her removal from office on Aug 5, 2024 was the result of a “meticulously engineered conspiracy” that had plunged the nation into what she described as an age of fear.
“From that day, democracy has gone into exile,” Hasina said, warning that life and property no longer enjoyed protection as law and order had collapsed nationwide.
She painted a picture of a country gripped by “mob” violence, looting, and extortion, stretching from the capital to rural areas, and blamed extremist groups and foreign interests for what she described as the systematic destruction of the state.
The sharpest criticism was directed at Nobel laureate Yunus personally.
The Grameen Bank founder assumed office on Aug 8, 2024 to lead the interim government, shortly after the July Uprising forced the fall of the Awami League administration.
Hasina accused him of bleeding the country dry and pushing Bangladesh towards a wider regional conflict by allegedly handing over national resources and strategic interests to foreign powers.
“By betraying the nation, the murderous fascist Yunus is pushing our beloved motherland towards disaster,” she said.
Calling the address both a warning and a rallying call, Hasina urged “all democratic, progressive and non-communal forces of the pro-Liberation camp” to unite in restoring the constitution, which she said had been written “in the blood of martyrs”.
She also portrayed the Awami League as the “only legitimate guardian” of Bangladesh’s democratic and pluralist traditions, describing it as the country’s oldest political party and one deeply embedded in its political and cultural foundations.
Hasina outlined five demands she said were essential to restoring stability. The first was the removal of what she called the “illegal Yunus administration” to create conditions for free and fair elections. “Bangladesh will never see a credible election while this clique remains in power,” she said.
Her second demand focused on ending daily violence and restoring public order, arguing that economic recovery and basic civic services depended on stability.
The third called for firm guarantees to protect religious minorities, women, and vulnerable groups from targeted attacks.
Fourth, she demanded an end to what she described as politically motivated legal action against journalists, Awami League leaders, and opposition figures, calling for the judiciary to be restored as an impartial institution.
Her final demand urged the United Nations to conduct “a fresh and impartial investigation” into events over the past year.
“The international community stands with you,” Hasina told supporters, adding that the interim authorities had failed to listen to the will of the people.
Earlier, in an interview with NDTV, Hasina said Bangladesh was sliding towards authoritarian rule and extremist influence.
Speaking from India, she recounted the events surrounding her ouster, the destruction of her family’s historic residence, and what she described as state-backed attacks on minorities and democratic institutions.
She urged Bangladeshis not to lose hope, calling on them to join what she described as a struggle to reclaim democracy and restore constitutional rule.
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