Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—who fled Bangladesh following a student–public uprising—has admitted that there were “some mistakes” during his mother’s government. However, he rejected the United Nations report claiming that 1,400 people were killed while suppressing the mass movement.
In an interview with the Associated Press from Washington, D.C., Joy said that if the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus does not lift the ban on the Awami League and hold an inclusive, free, and fair election, Bangladesh will remain politically unstable. According to him, lifting the ban and allowing all parties to participate is the only way to restore stability.
The national election is scheduled for February 2026 — the first since the mass uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule and forced her to flee to India. Yunus later took charge as head of the interim government, banning all Awami League political activities and arresting top leaders. Many fled the country.
Human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), along with four others, recently urged the Yunus administration to withdraw the ban on the Awami League, saying it violates freedom of expression and political association.
Joy warned that if the Awami League is not given sufficient time to prepare, the election will not be acceptable to either the public or the international community. He said that if the restrictions are lifted only at the last moment, the vote will become a “mockery.”
The opposition BNP has emerged as the main contender in the upcoming polls, while Jamaat-e-Islami has returned to politics after more than a decade-long ban. Joy cautioned that continued instability will only benefit Islamist groups.
He accused the Yunus government of aiding Islamists and launching a “witch-hunt” against Sheikh Hasina. According to him, “Thousands of Awami League activists have been in jail for over a year; around 500 have been killed, and 31 have died in custody.” He added that minorities, especially Hindus, are now being targeted.
The interim government, however, has denied all such allegations.
Source: Associated Press