By Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now exiled in India, has been advised by interim leader Muhammad Yunus to remain silent while awaiting her possible trial. Yunus, 84, told Indian media that Hasina, 76, should avoid making public statements until her return to Bangladesh for prosecution. Hasina fled to India by helicopter a month ago after widespread protests led to her ouster, ending her 15-year rule.
Yunus’ caretaker government, established after the overthrow, is under pressure to demand Hasina’s extradition. She faces potential charges for the deaths of hundreds of protesters during the unrest that toppled her government. Yunus emphasized that her continued public comments from India are unwelcome, both for Bangladesh and for India. Hasina’s recent calls for public gatherings in Dhaka were seen as attempts to rally her supporters and disrupt order, but these efforts were met with counter-demonstrations.
The interim government has yet to make a formal request for her extradition. Hasina, who has been accused of human rights abuses during her leadership, faces multiple criminal cases linked to the suppression of political opposition. Her supporters, however, remain vocal, with thousands gathering in Dhaka to mark one month since her fall and to remember the protesters killed during her regime.
Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, returned from Europe to lead the temporary government, which is tasked with democratic reforms and the organization of fresh elections. While elections have been promised, no specific date has been set. Bangladesh’s election chief, Kazi Habibul Awal, recently resigned, citing the country’s “changed scenario” but denying political interference in the controversial January elections that saw Hasina re-elected in the absence of real opposition.
