Ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death on Monday after being convicted of crimes against humanity, a ruling her son Sajeeb Wazed has vehemently rejected, calling the proceedings a “sham trial”.
“Verdict Was Engineered”, Claims Sajeeb Wazed
In an interview to a news portal, Wazed alleged that the verdict was engineered by what he described as an illegal government and insisted that the Awami League would continue to challenge both the ruling and the process that led to it.
“This was a sham trial. It was completed in just two to three months. They changed the law to deliver this verdict. My mother was not even allowed to hire her own attorney. This is absolutely a sham, nothing else. The verdict was predetermined,” News18 cited him as saying.
“This Is Their Revenge”, Says Wazed
Wazed further dismissed the judgment as a “joke” and claimed the case against his mother was the “work of Jamaat and Islamist radicals”. “This is their revenge. The people of Bangladesh must now decide whether they want to move forward or become a radical Islamic state. Islamists have backed this regime,” he said. “Bangladesh must choose whether it moves ahead or remains a failed Islamic state.”
Hasina “Safe in India”, Son Insists
He reiterated that Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in exile in New Delhi after fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024, remains safe. “My mother is safe in India. What will they do to her? There is no rule of law. People responded to our shutdown,” Wazed said, adding that he expects the Yunus-led regime to fall and vowing that Awami League leaders would return to Dhaka.
Bangladesh Issues Fresh Extradition Notice
Bangladesh has issued a fresh notice seeking Hasina’s extradition following the sentencing. Wazed had issued a similar strongly worded statement ahead of the verdict in Dhaka, also demanding that the ban on the Awami League be withdrawn.
