Son of Bangladesh's ousted PM Hasina claims court will 'sentence her to death'

Sheikh Hasina.

The son and adviser of unseated Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh is going to sentence his mother to death, saying that supporters of her Awami League would block February's national election if a ban on the party was not lifted.

Sajeeb Wazed's remarks to Reuters news agency on Sunday came a day before a Dhaka court was due to deliver a televised verdict that is expected to convict Hasina, 78, in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity for a deadly crackdown on student-led protests in 2024.

She denies wrongdoing and says the case is politically motivated.

Hasina has lived in exile in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024. Wazed said India was providing her full security 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," said Wazed, who lives in Washington, DC. "What can they do to my mother? My mother is safe in India. India is giving her full security."

A spokesperson for the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which took over after Hasina's 15 straight years in power ended, denied the trial was politically motivated, saying the court "functioned transparently, allowing observers and publishing regular documentation".

'Justice will be served'

Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since the end of Hasina's autocratic rule, and violence has marred campaigning for elections expected in February 2026.

A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands wounded — most by gunfire from security forces — during anti-government demonstrations between July 15 and August 5 last year, the worst political violence in Bangladesh since its 1971 independence war.

"Justice will be served according to the law," chief prosecutor Tajul Islam told reporters when the verdict date was set last week.

"We hope the court will exercise its prudence and wisdom, that the thirst for justice will be fulfilled, and that this verdict will mark an end to crimes against humanity," he said.

Prosecutors have filed five charges, including failure to prevent murder, amounting to crimes against humanity under Bangladeshi law.

Her co-accused include former interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal — also a fugitive — and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, who is in custody and has pleaded guilty.

Hasina was assigned a state-appointed lawyer for the trial, but she refused to recognise the court's authority and said she rejected all charges.

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Source: TRT